Red Death
by Rassilon001
Summary: A plague has broken out on a border town of the Fire Country, and a Sakura is dispatched to the aid medical ninjas there. As well as given an armed escort to protect her and the supplies. Re-Write.
1. Outbreak

**Disclaimer:  
**I don't own Naruto: Shippuden, it belongs to Kishimoto and Jump studios and lots of other people far richer than I am. And while I normally claim to be able to make better filler arcs than the latter, I think I'll withdraw that usual comment in lieu of the rather good Shippuden stuff. I still wish I could see this story animated, however.

**Summary:  
**A plague has broken out on a border town of the Fire Country, and a Sakura is dispatched to the aid medical ninjas there. As well as given an armed escort to protect her and the supplies. When they arrive, however, Sakura and her team discover there is more at work here than a simple plague. Rated PG-13 for some light cursing, action violence, and some descriptive illness symptoms.

* * *

Near the border of the Grass Country, there existed a small town. Nothing particularly noteworthy about this town. It had stone buildings (most no higher than two stories), reasonably content people, and beautiful scenery. It's primary source of income was lumber, and it's people were hardworking and prosperous. If there was any fear of their neighbors in Hidden Grass, or even further northwest, in the rocky country of Earth, they were dispelled by the comforting thought of Konoha's shinobi keeping watch over their town. Takaki, for such was the towns name, continued its blissful existence, safe under the watchful wing of the Fire Country, yet far enough away from the capital and the Village Hidden in the Leaves that such events as the Sound and Sand Battle, as well as the Kazuma's Undead Invasion went on without affecting them. Even the Kyuubi's attack, over a decade and a half ago, was little more than a bad rumor.

However, these days the people of Takaki had a new fear.

An unseen menace had slipped into their peaceful town, bringing them to their knees in little more than a fortnight. Not ninja, this foe was far more sinister, and killed its victims far more slowly. And much more painfully.

Disease.

It had started out innocently enough, a few individuals caught in the trouble. The overworked, the elderly, the young. Small coughs and headaches easily explained as common colds. But these persisted, growing worse by the day, and then by the hour. Soon full-grown, healthy men and women began to come down with the illness. No one is quite certain who first coined its moniker, but within a short while it had become known as the Crimson Plague. So named because during the latter half of a victims infection, their body broke out into horrible red splotches, their temperature climbed, and eventually they succumbed to a raging fever. Once they hit this stage, they rarely lasted more than a day or two.

The plague spread quickly, and more and more of Takaki's populace was infected. Acting quickly, the Fifth Hokage dispatched medic-nin to try and cure the disease, or failing that, to quarantine the small town until a cure could be found. Takaki was closed off, armed shinobi posted at every entrance, no one was allowed in or out save the medic-nins. Signs were posted along the road, warning away travelers and merchants, telling them to detour around the plague town for their own safety. And within a day, Takaki was closed off from the world.

Days stretched on, with still no cure found. At least two thirds of the population was sick now, and the supplies of the medic-nins began to run low. So it was time to send a team to deliver more.

* * *

Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, the Legendary Sannin (as well as the legendary sucker, or so she was known in most gambling circles) heaved a great sigh as the latest report fell from her hand, joining a number of others on her desk before her. Pinching her brow did little to relieve the growing sense of a headache. Not for the first time, she wished she could smuggle some sake into her office, but Shizune had been getting rather sharp at finding it, and for some reason her protégé never failed to give her an earful when she felt she wasn't living up to her expectations as Hokage.

Worse still, she was right.

Pushing aside the paper and drawing out one of her desks drawers, she flipped through a pile of cards she'd been keeping there. But these weren't playing cards (something else she missed a great deal) but contained small profiles on Konoha shinobi and their abilities. She'd found organizing them like this helped her focus on whom was where and doing what, and how to pick a new team in short order for a new mission. Like the one she had now.

Sakura was a dead obvious, and thankfully still available, since she'd been working mostly at the hospital for the last few days. Sai and Naruto she quickly added to the pile, but Yamato's card was out, so he must've already been assigned to another mission. S-Class, Tsunade remembered. Something quick but vital. Kakashi was likewise occupied. So were half the Jounin she had available, and many of them weren't suited for the mission in question. Kurenai was still out on maternity leave, she remembered. Due in a short while, if Tsunade recalled correctly. A faint smiled graced her lips. She was going to look forward to the delivery.

But just Sakura, Sai, and Naruto was not going to be enough for this mission, she sensed. So it was she plucked another card, and added it to her little hand. Nodding in satisfaction at its contents, she called in one of her aids and presented it to him.

"I want these four in my office within the hour," she stated in no-nonsense terms.

"Right away, Lady Hokage!" he said with a salute, blurring out of her office.

Satisfied that was taken care of, Tsunade plucked up the next report, and began to peruse it, her brown eyes wandering over the form. It was a request from a nearby clan of wandering cat-ninjas who'd requested to take up permanent residence in Konoha. Idly she smirked, just thinking of the trouble the Owani would cause if they settled too close to the Inuzuka's...

* * *

Locating Sakura and Sai were rather straightforward for the aid. Sakura was at the hospital, and only a short while after she'd been found, Sai had found _them_. It was uncanny, sometimes, how much the smiling boy just seemed to _know_ when a mission had come up. Almost like he was stalking his teammates. But the aide let that drop in favor of the rest of his mission. He directed them both to the Hokage as he worked to track down Naruto, although that was even easier for him, since it was noon.

At this point in his life, virtually anyone in Konoha could tell you where to find Uzumaki Naruto at noon.

Ichiraku Ramen Stand.

By the time Tsunade's aid had found Naruto, he was deep into his third bowl of ramen, slurping down noodles with wild abandon, as if he had been starving himself for a week and only just managed to get there. Shaking his head, the aid lifted up the flap and stepped inside, greeting the younger shinobi.

"The Hokage has an important mission for you, Naruto," he said. "You're to report to her immediately."

"Aww man, I was just in the middle of lunch," protested Naruto. But duty came before ramen, even for the young Uzumaki (it was a close call though) and he reached down to find his frog-wallet. The aid waved him away.

"Go, I'll handle this," he replied, deciding that the sooner Naruto reached the Hokage, the better. The way she'd made her request had made it sound urgent. The blonde Uzumaki was off like a shot after downing his last bowl.

* * *

"... and that's where you and your team come in," stated the Fifth Hokage, leaning back in her chair. "You're to deliver the medical supplies to our team already out at Takaki and provide any other assistance that Otohime and her team that may be needed. Shizune here has the particulars," she added, motioning forward her aid. The dark-haired protégé of the Legendary Sannin stepped forward, handing a piece of parchment to Sakura with the mission particulars, in case anything had slipped past her. Tsunade privately doubted it. Her student had remarkably good recall. Even if she didn't, she half-suspected that Sai had a photographic memory. Either naturally or had ingrained into him by that Root bastard Danzou.

"All the supplies you'll need are already waiting by the western gate with Izumo and Kotetsu," Shizune added as she passed along the mission profile.

"Understood," said Sakura. "We'll leave at once."

"Hold on," interrupted Tsunade, as Sai and Sakura turned to leave, bringing them both a halt. "This mission is vital. The village of Takaki supplies most of the lumber used in construction from one end of the Fire Country to the other. If they're cut down the entire economy could be threatened. Besides," she added, just a hint of humor coming to her eyes. "... those medical supplies are heavy. I wouldn't dream of making you carry them all by yourself, Sakura. So just wait until your other teammates arrive, and then you can depart."

"Teammates?" asked Sakura. "Danzou-taicho or Kakashi-sensei?"

"Neither," replied Tsunade.

A respectful knocking came at the door, almost on cue, and after Tsunade bid its owner to enter, the door swung open wide to reveal...

"Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast, Rock Lee, reporting for duty," stated Rock Lee, as he stepped into the room, offering a salute to the Hokage. Sakura blinked in mild surprise. She hadn't seen Lee in some time... since their two teams had converged to try and rescue Gaara from Akatsuki.

"Rock Lee will be accompanying you to protect you and the shipment, Sakura. He... er..."

"... cheerfully volunteered," supplied Shizune diplomatically. She and Tsunade shared a glance, and Sakura barely managed to avoid grimacing with Lee standing so close to her. She could imagine perfectly well what had really happened.

Sai, somewhat oblivious to the subtle interplay of emotions the others were showing, studied Rock Lee with a practiced eye, wondering what sort of shinobi he was.

Sakura brushed aside any reservations she had, smiling broadly as she bowed her head in gratitude to her newest teammate. "Thank you for agreeing to come with me, Lee-san," she said.

"I'm glad to, Sakura-san. Rest assured, no harm will come to you or the shipment. I will protect you with my life," he stated one of his legendary 'nice guy' poses and flashing his teeth.

As one, Sakura, Tsunade, and Shizune sweatdropped. Sai's estimation of his new teammate dropped a notch.

Tsunade cleared her throat, dispelling the awkward silence that followed. "Sakura is to be the leader of this team, since she is the one most experience in the medical arts, and this is first and foremost the priority of the mission. She will be in charge. Anyone who questions her authority answers to me when you return to Konoha. Oh yes, and there's one other coming with you," added the Fifth Hokage, almost as an after-thought. "Idiot needed something to do to keep from training so damn much," she muttered under her breath.

Sakura's emerald eyes grew wide, a sinking feeling already creeping over her. "Not...?"

"Saaakuuuraaa-chaaaannn!"

Sakura slapped her hand against her forehead, groaning in frustration. "Naruto..."

"You leave in the morning," stated Tsunade, already turning back to her paperwork.

* * *

As the sun began to rise in the east, painting the dark skyline its first hues of pink and yellow, the small, four-man team stepped out of the shadows of the western gate of Konoha. The sun at their backs, they started off on a brisk walking pace along the road, heading towards the town of Takaki.

Out in front, setting the pace, was a blonde, spiky-haired boy of no more than sixteen years. On the tallish side and muscular, with distinct whisker-marks on his cheeks and a pair of bright blue eyes. He was clad in a bright orange jacket and trousers, both of which were trimmed in black, bearing a red swirl on the back. A holster was strapped to his leg, a pack rested on the back of his waist, and a forehead protector showing his allegiance to the Leaf village was across his brow.

Beside him, also enjoying the brisk pace, was another boy, a few inches taller and slightly thinner, with a wiry frame showcased by a skintight, green spandex suit. His black hair was cut into a distinct bowl shape, and his large eyes and fuzzy eyebrows were at sharp contrast against an otherwise plain face. A flak jacket covered his torso, a forehead protector was slung across his waist, and his arms were heavily bandaged. A pair of orange legwarmers covered his legs from knee to ankle, making an almost inaudible 'clink' with each step he took. He too wore a hip pack and a holster strapped to his leg, and a pack rested on his shoulder as he took proud strides forward.

A short distance behind them was a girl (or perhaps more properly, young woman) whose hair was a most unusual shade of pink, with eyes like jade chips. A forehead protector was draped over her head, drawing back her lightly crimson locks to expose her overly wide forehead. She was dressed in a red, sleeveless shirt with a white circle on the back, and a tan skirt. She too was armed as a shinobi, and carrying a pack slung over her shoulders, though a much lighter one than her comrades.

Behind them all came another boy, pale and dark-haired, in a black suit which curiously left his midriff bare. In a way that was functional for a ninja, but most definitely unfashionable. He too wore a forehead protector on his head, and a short blade was strapped to his back. Two packs rested at his sides, containing his equipment. He wore a smile on what could've been called handsome features, had not all the color been leeched from them, but he wore it as an after-thought. There was little depth to it.

Together, the foursome set out along the trail to the plague town of Takaki. Their spirits were high, their morale practically in the clouds. It was promising to be a beautiful day, and they had a mission ahead of them. They were in the springtime of youth, whether they realized it or not, and firmly believed themselves to be invincible to any sort of danger or harm.

They had no idea what awaited them at the end of their journey.

* * *

High up in the distance, atop of the Hokage's Mansion, Tsunade and Shizune watched as the Genin team quickly faded into small dots on the horizon, then vanished. Behind them, the silent, stone faces of the former Hokages seemed to do the same, as their great eyes of rock watched over all in the village of Konoha. Those who came and went, who lived and died and worked in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Doing the very same thing they had done in life, and would continue to do in spirit until the end of time.

"It's a good team you picked," remarked Shizune pleasantly, as if chatting about the weather. "Lee and Naruto won't let Sakura come to any harm. Not if they have anything to say about it."

"I'd like to think that the same could be said of anyone I assigned," replied Tsunade thoughtfully.

"Those two will approach it with more... enthusiasm, perhaps," Shizune said, smirking a little. Tsunade returned the expression, well aware of what it was like dealing with idiotic-teammates. "And Sai should be able to keep them all focused on the mission. It is his specialty, after all. Tsunade nodded, well aware of how right her apprentice was. Or at least she hoped she was. The last thing Sakura would need on this mission was for Lee and Naruto to get into a squabble for her affection.

"But if I may ask," continued Shizune quietly. "Why did you send Sakura? She's been going through a rough patch ever since..."

Tsunade's smirk faded, then turned to a frown as the last visages of the foursome vanished into the tree line and out of her sight. "Because being a proper medic-nin cannot be taught wholly in books and hospitals. She has to learn how to work in the field when life and death hang in the balance. And she has to learn some lessons that may well break her. But if she doesn't... then there is no future for her... or those she cares about," remarked Tsunade quietly. "This is as much a test for her as it is a mission."

"But she's been in the field before," Shizune started to protest. Tsunade cut her off with a look.

"And she's done well. That's not the issue. And you and I both know it."

Shizune nodded grimly, but felt it was her place to make one last effort to defend her pink-haired little sister-of-the-medical arts. "And what happens if she fails?"

"... let's just hope she doesn't," replied Tsunade. "She has to learn. I just hope she deals with it better than I did," she added with a heavy sigh. As always, thoughts of Sakura and her training tended to bring back bittersweet memories of Dan. Brushing them aside, Tsunade turned sharply on her heel and made her way back down the stairs, Tonton following closely behind. "Don't we have paperwork to do?" she asked brusquely over her shoulder.

The dark-haired medic-nin grimaced, but nodded, scurrying after her mentor. She was only doing what she felt best, after all.

**

* * *

****Author's Notes:  
**Takaki roughly translates as Tall-tree, or some such, and seemed appropriate for a town in the Fire Country, which is heavily forested.


	2. Transmission

When they'd first set out on their mission from Konoha, Sakura had been mildly pleased.

Both Naruto and Rock Lee were her friends, after all. They'd both saved her life at least once (though she'd returned the favors, she reminded herself) with little thought to their own safety (usually why she returned the favors with hospital work) and she get along reasonably well with both of them. When Naruto wasn't acting like an idiot, clumsily trying to ask her out on dates and telling the world he was going to be the future Hokage. And when Rock Lee wasn't imitating his idol and sensei, Maito Gai, spouting out the springtime of youth nonsense and flashing his teeth so often and so brightly it left spots behind the back of her eyelids. Sai she was much more reserved about, but he was definitely making progress since his first days as part of Team Seven.

And, a more practical part of her mind agreed, it was always useful for the boys to carry the medical supplies. Not that she was weak by any stretch of the imagination.

However, Sakura quickly found that while dealing with one of the boys wasn't so bad, dealing with two of them was quick to test her patience. And three of them together was driving her close to bonkers.

"Oh! What happened next, Naruto-san?!" asked Lee enthusiastically.

"I took down each and every one with my bare hands! Not a single merchant got so much as a scratch!" replied Naruto, with equal enthusiasm. It seemed more to Sakura they were having a shouting match than debating a good mission. Plus, they were practically announcing their presence to everyone within hearing range. And they called themselves shinobi. Behind them, Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Most impressive!" Lee stated, his head bobbing in appreciation. Sakura somehow suspected he'd been equally as impressed if he'd heard the real nature of the reports, and how Naruto had been more a hindrance than anything else. That Gaara and Shikamaru had been the ones to really bring the marauding bandits down.

"It reminds me of the time...!" Lee started, and Sakura privately whined, closing her eyes and trying to will them both to shut up. She'd never displayed any mind-altering jutsu like her on-and-off friend Yamanaka Ino... but there was no harm in trying. It certainly wasn't as if her head could hurt any more than it already did.

Sai, walking beside her, spared her a glance, happening to catch her facial contortions and his smile slipped ever so slightly. "Something wrong?" he asked, his tone low. Neither of those walking ahead of them would overhear.

She sighed, rubbing her temples, unaware of how eerily similar it made her to her mentor. "Just... I dunno... boys..." she muttered, stalking up ahead, hoping to grab Naruto and Lee by the ears if that was what it took to shut them up.

The former Root assassin, meanwhile, had slowed his pace, a bit puzzled by Sakura's words. They were, after all, just a touch beyond his ability to comprehend, since his interaction with females had been quite limited up until his joining Team Seven a month ago.

Something he'd have to read up on once he got back home, he decided, then stepped up his pace to keep up with the others.

After the first days travel, the foursome made camp a short distance from the road in a small forest glen. Takaki was another half day's travel from their current spot, according to Sakura and her maps, so a little shut eye was necessary to ensure they made it there without the use of soldier pills.

* * *

Especially_ Sakura_'s soldier pills.

Since it was a pleasant summer evening, the male trio had decided to bunk down under the stars in sleeping bags, and simply hope that it didn't rain. More pragmatic strategist Sakura, however, took the time to set up her own tent while they gathered the firewood and water.

The shadows grew longer as the sun began to set, and the four of them found themselves in a circle gathered around the fire, chatting companionably. Or at least, Sakura and Sai were, the latter of whom was using a tree trunk as a resting point, the former of whom was sitting on a comfortable rock, reading one of his books. Across from them, past the burning fire, Naruto and Lee were engaged in a contest, each determined to defeat the other in a rock-lifting contest. By the time darkness had fully descended, the two of them were lugging a pair of boulders in their arms and trying to tree-walk themselves up the side of a mighty pine tree. The first to reach the top got to 'win.'

A heavy thump announced that Naruto had discarded his latest rock, after Rock Lee had beaten him to the top, and he'd gone to go and search for something more suitable, to prove his superiority in the way that only males were capable.

Finding a suitable rock, he grabbed the sides and heaved. However, it was firmly embedded in the Earth. So, he dug in deeper, grabbed it harder, and tugged firmly... pulling with all of his might.

Sakura, nearby, stifled a giggle at the display. "You'll never move it, you know," she remarked. "Just give it up and come rest. Both of you," she added for Lee's benefit. "You'll both be sore by morning at this rate."

Seeing the wisdom in her words, Rock Lee decided to call it quits, but Naruto, believing this a chance to one-up his friendly rival, put all his strength into his next heave. The rock slid out of the earth rather suddenly, however, and he was unprepared for its weight, which was quite a bit more than he'd anticipated. Worse, he stumbled backwards over a tree branch, which his foot caught on. He barely managed to throw the rock out of harm's way before he tripped and fell backwards, landing with a crash atop of...

"Naruto!" groaned Sakura. "Get off of me you lunkhe-..."

They both paused, frozen. So did Sai and Lee, once they saw what had happened.

The blonde Uzumaki had thrown out a hand to try and catch his fall, and it had landed right atop of Sakura. In an area that was both very sensitive to being groped and very personal to have been touched.

Sensing his error, Naruto snatched back his hand as if it had been in scalding hot water, already trying to spout off an apology.

"NA-RUU-TOO..." roared Sakura, her emerald eyes blazing. Her arm snapped out like a cobra, and she grabbed a handful of his orange jumpsuit. "YOU PERVERT!" she screamed, as she hurled over her shoulder and high up into the air. Both Sai and Lee rapidly lost sight of his progress as he seemed to vanish into the dark sky overhead.

Breathing heavily from both her scream and her throw, and still very angry, Sakura stalked over towards her tent, pausing by the entrance.

"I'm going to bed," she announced in a voice that sent chills down their spines. "If anybody disturbs my sleep tonight, they will never find your remains." That said, she stepped inside, and zipped the flap shut with such force that she nearly ripped it in two.

Lee and Sai spared a glance at one another, and silently agreed to leave her be. Neither had any desire to stumble back to camp, as Naruto did a half hour later.

The rest of the evening passed in relative peace.

* * *

The next day passed relatively quietly, with the three boys walking in back, being damn sure not to anger Sakura again. Of course, it went without saying that doing such was usually a suicidal gesture, especially after her training under Tsunade. But she seemed especially moody during this particular mission they couldn't fathom.

They reached the outskirts of Takaki by mid-afternoon, observing it from atop of a nearby hill. This part of the Fire Country was covered in thick pine trees, which quickly came to an abrupt end around the actual town. Its people had been using them as a natural resource for years. However, the four-man team saw no signs of devastation or deforestation as they made their way down to the main gates. Evidently the people planted as many trees as they cut down. Considerate of future generations.

The town of Takaki was walled off by a thick layer of spiked wooden logs, specially treated with sap to make them nearly impossible to climb properly. Despite their assurances of protection from the Fire Country and the Leaf Village, it seemed Takaki was still prepared in case rogue missing-nins or ordinary bandits decided to try and take them. Guards were posted at the two main entrances to the town, although these days they out in greater numbers and more carefully watching the coming and going of people, for a banner over the east gate proclaimed that Takaki was a plague town, and not to be entered lightly under any circumstances.

Fortunately, the guards accepted Sakura's pass and after a brief inspection of her and her teammates (and their precious supplies), they were allowed to pass without so much as a second glance.

Eager to be rid of his pack, Naruto let it slide from his shoulder as soon as they came to a stop inside of the gates, thinking their mission all but over. However, when he turned back around, Sai and Sakura were slipping a pair of masks on over their faces. The pink-haired medic-nin quickly passed another pair to Lee and Naruto.

"Put these on," she stated, securing it deftly behind her ears. Rock Lee and Sai mimicked the motion, but Naruto hesitated, frowning in confusion.

"What for?" he asked.

Sakura gave him a 'are you serious?' look, green eyes flashing with just a hint of anger. Evidently she still wasn't on the best of terms with her blonde teammate. "It's to keep you from breathing in the disease," she stated matter-of-factly. "We've not heard any reports yet of how it is transmitted, so until then we're taking every necessary precaution."

Grumbling, Naruto did as he was told and slipped on the mask, muttering that he'd never been sick a day in his life, and he wasn't planning to start now. "And now we have to look like Kakashi-sensei," he added in a low mutter.

Sakura rolled her eyes, but privately agreed with him. They looked rather silly, but if it was a choice between that and death, it was a no brainer.

So even Naruto would've made the right choice.

* * *

Stepping into the small town of Takaki was like stepping into another world.

Outside of the lumber village was the forests of the Fire Country, alive with the chirps of birds, the skittering of squirrels, the rustling of leaves in the wind. Here, inside of the plague town, it was silent as a grave. Eerily so. No sign of movement, no sign of people. The wind howled eerily through the empty and closed buildings of the town and made it seem like a ghost town, devoid of all live. A stray dog whined nearby, dispelling this illusion, but its haggard appearance only reinforced the idea that no people were around. None could take care of the poor thing. The markets were closed, and people had already been sent to the hospital, or else huddled inside of their rooms, afraid of leaving for fear of catching the Crimson Plague.

It was so quiet, in fact, that when a loud 'bang' noise went off, half the team leapt straight up into the air, and the others palmed kunai and scrolls before realizing it had been nothing more ominous than a loose window shutter, flapping in the breeze. Obviously it hadn't been secured properly.

"Let's move on," said Sakura after a moment of tense silence. "We need to see the leader of the village and find out where the medic-nins are so we can deliver the supplies."

* * *

As it turned out, finding the town leader's home wasn't nearly so hard as they had suspected it might be.

Whereas most of the town was full of nothing but dead plants, their owners having long ago lost interest in maintaining them, the stately manor they found themselves at was a verdant paradise. Every single blade of grass was green and healthy, flowers were prevalent everywhere. Again the four-man team from Konoha stepped out of one world and into another. Armed guards again had them checked to make sure they had clearance before admitting them. They quickly shucked their masks as they were escorted into the manor, which was made of whitewash marble, and given an audience before the lord of Takaki village.

Having asked a little of what to expect before they'd arrived, Sai had taken it upon himself to fill Naruto in on the current ruler of Takaki. The providence leader was a nephew of the Fire Country's Daimyo, a young man whom had inherited his position when his father had passed away. Before this, he had been living at the capitol. But when he took control of Takaki, things had prospered. That had been about two and a half years ago, when Naruto had first left Konoha to study under Jiriaya. Things had prospered, yes... right up until the Crimson Death plague had emerged, of course.

The Lord of Takaki proved to be a most unexpectedly young individual, barely older than Rock Lee was. He was a dark-haired, dark-eyed young man, with the pale skin of an individual who did not get outside often. Despite this, he seemed fit and capable. He was dressed in the dark blue garments befitting a nobleman of his position, but they seemed as much practical as ceremonial. When the team entered, he stood and bowed politely to them, giving a warm smile.

"We are very honored to meet you," he stated in a rich timbre. "And we give our thanks on behalf of the Takaki city for the medical supplies you have brought as well."

"Thank you, my liege," replied Sakura, curtseying as protocol demanded, while her teammates bowed at her side. She was about to give formal introductions, but he gave a soft laugh that caught her off-guard.

"Oh please, don't stand on ceremony," he said with a dismissive wave, taking an unsteady step down towards them. "You can call me Tekka. It is the name my mother gave me, after all. And considering she was reputed to being a very clever woman, it is likely we should humor her, yes?"

Sakura giggled softly at that. "Tekka-san then."

"And your names?" he asked.

"Oh, excuse me," she said, getting her mind back on track. "I'm Haruno Sakura. This is Rock Lee, Sai, and Naruto," she said, indicating each of her teammates in turn.

Tekka started faintly at that last name. "Naruto? Uzumaki Naruto?"

"Yeah," replied Naruto, speaking for the first time. "That's me."

"Oh I mean no offense," replied Lord Tekka, brushing away his surprise. "I've just... heard quite a bit about you."

Naruto grinned at that. "Oh really?"

His teammates were less than enthusiastic. Rumors about Naruto ranged from bad to worse, especially to those who knew he was the Kyuubi vessel. Most of the village guards had seemed ignorant, but it seemed Tekka was more in the know about such things.

"But it is a pleasure to meet you all," stated Lord Tekka, returning his attention to Sakura, and it seemed as though he was speaking solely to her, ignoring her teammate. "I suppose if we're not standing on ceremony we should get to work. Those supplies need to get to my people if we're to have any hope of beating this accursed illness."

The pink-haired kunoichi nodded. "Right. Just tell us where the medic-nins have set up and we'll head there straight away," stated Sakura, her voice brimming with confidence. This was her field, and she was anxious to prove herself.

She was puzzled, therefore, when the Lord's face contracted briefly into a grimace. "Er... perhaps your friends can rest a moment while I speak to you in private, Sakura-san?" he asked respectfully.

Sakura frowned faintly at his request, respectful though it was. "Whatever you have to say you can say in front of my team," she replied.

"You trust them with your secrets?"

"I trust them with my life."

He chuckled ever so faintly at that. "Not quite the same thing," he replied, almost to himself. Then, straightening, he nodded. "Well in that case... perhaps I'd best accompany you. We've set up a place for the sick just a little way from here, in the southern district, and had it quarantined..."

* * *

**Author's Notes:  
**Tekka can mean a red-hot iron, gunfire, gambling or a violent temper. It's also a minor Uchiha name, but since the character was dead, I didn't feel so bad stealing it. Not the same guy.


	3. Prognosis

The Southern District was very close by. As Lee phrased it, just 'a hop, skip, and a jump' away from the Lord's manor. They'd replaced their masks and moved in, showing their papers, though the sight of Lord Takaki among them made such protocols largely superfluous. It sped things along, something Sakura was grateful for. She could sense something was very wrong here. Something seemed decidedly out of place. So it was they arrived at one of the buildings, marked with the sign of the plague, a crimson circle drawn in paint (though it almost looked like blood) along the wooden door.

It had previously been a restaurant, or so it seemed, but all the chairs and tables had been pushed aside to make room for the cots. Inside, nearly all were occupied by the sick. Men, women, old, young, the plague did not recognize gender or age, it struck remorselessly at all people who lived and breathed in Takaki village. The sickest were easiest to identify, covered in red lesions that marked the later, fatal stages of the virus. And almost everyone else was coughing, the room was filled with the sounds of wheezing and choking.

As they watched, a pair of village men came by, carrying a shrouded individual between them. One glance was enough for even the thick-headed Uzumaki to tell this individual would never be waking up again.

"Goddamn..." he whispered to no one in particular.

Ninja lived and breathed death, they saw it all the time on missions. But this... this was something else entirely. It was beyond horrific, and Naruto felt he was going to be ill. Beside him, Lee and Sakura watched with growing concern. Only Sai seemed untouched by the death and dying, though his expression was neutral, the fake smile gone from his face. But he was too well trained and his soul too bloodstained already to allow himself to be touched by this.

Tugging on some gloves and taking a breath to calm her jangled nerves, Sakura slid off her pack and moved forward to examine one of the patients. She regretted not taking a moment to put on a full surgical gown, as well as the fact that her red blouse left her arms bare, but there was little she could do about it except avoiding skin-to-skin contact. No sense taking risks, after all. Placing her fingertips on an elderly woman's torso, she began some gentle chakra probing.

"Are they all like this?" she asked over her shoulder.

"Yes... the plague strikes without warning... and its always the same," replied the young Lord Tekka, his voice muffled slightly by the mask over his face. "Fever, rash, red lesions... within days they are little better than the poor soul you saw carried out. It is as if they burned alive from within by a fire that cannot be extinguished." He stepped closer to her, gazing down at the old woman sorrowfully. "Like the fires of hell," he murmured, so soft he could barely be heard.

"A gruesome fate," remarked Lee.

Suddenly reminded her teammates were still there, Sakura turned to them, and began to issue instructions on the medicine they'd brought and how to use it. Most of it wasn't going to help much, but it might ease some people's suffering, or slow the disease down a bit. And right now, every little bit would help. Sai, Naruto, and Lee sprang to work at once, grateful for something to do rather than sit and watch people die. That finished, Sakura turned back to Tekka.

"Where are the medic-nins?" asked Sakura, continuing her chakra probing of the older woman. She could feel the virus lacing her body. She could sense it. Like some sort of malicious animal hiding within her.

Lord Tekka hesitated, then stated quietly. "Sakura-san... they were some of the plagues first victims," he motioned to the first few rows of tables. Sure enough, Sakura caught sight of Konoha forehead protectors. "The team sent in also quickly succumbed. I'm afraid at the moment... you're the only medic-nin left in all of Takaki, Sakura-san," he stated quietly.

Sakura took a step back, finding her hands shaking. She couldn't maintain sufficient focus for medical ninjutsu. It was no surprise, she was downright terrified. She'd never been so on her own before. Always there'd been someone to back her up before. Kakashi, Tsunade, Shizune, even Chiyo had helped her. Now she was all alone. Worse, she had the responsibility of the entire village settled on her rounded shoulders. She suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

"I..."

"Hey, easy," stated Tekka, resting a hand on her shoulder, helping her keep her balance. She drew on his strength gratefully. "It's a lot to take in, I know. Listen, I think some of the medic-nins are still conscious. Talk to them. I'll help your teammates with the medicine."

"No... no we can't risk you being infected," she said, turning back to him in concern.

He smiled behind his mask, his dark eyes twinkling with merriment. "I'd make a poor leader if my town dies and I sit back doing nothing. I'll help, Sakura-san. Just... please show me what to do."

She did, grateful for the extra help, and watched in no small amount of admiration as the young lord went amongst his people to distribute the medicine, though he seemed hopelessly inept. Still, at least he wasn't spilling water all over the floor like Naruto had. Or bumping against a patients cot like Lee. And Sai... his bedside manner was beyond abysmal. Telling someone they were likely going to die rarely did the trick to keeping their morale up.

* * *

Taking Tekka's advice to heart, Sakura spoke to those medic-nin still conscious to learn what she could of the disease. Fortunately, one of the medic-nins still conscious recognized her on sight as Tsunade's talented protege. Isane quickly gathered up what little strength she had and sat upright, her silver tresses trailing down her back as she faced Sakura. In the bed beside her, Otohime, the medic-nin squad leader, was in far worse shape.

"Wish we could be meeting under better circumstances," Isane said politely.

Sakura smiled at that. Even on her deathbed, Isane was always so formal. Frowning, she brushed that thought away. She wasn't going to die. Not on her watch. "Yeah," she replied. "So what can you tell me about the Crimson Plague? Any new revelations?"

From what the two medic-nin teams had learned, the disease spread like wildfire within a week before proper containment had been brought in. But even after that, when they'd cut off the town from outside sources, the disease still kept cropping up all over the town. And it was still doing so to this very day. It wasn't found outside of the village, something inside was the source. Not even an animal could've made it over the jagged walls that surrounded the village, nor slipped past the guards at the eastern and western gates.

It also turned out, she confided between coughs, that once a person was infected, they became a carrier, able to pass the disease along by touch. However, it turned out the disease wasn't airborne, so they were reasonably safe from infection as long as they wore gloves (a fact she was quick to call out to her teammates, though to a one they kept their masks firmly in place). As the reports had indicated and Lord Tekka had confirmed, the symptoms were universally unpleasant. Infection, fever, rashes, red lesions, sometimes accompanying delirium and dehydration... and then a day or two at most, and finally death. So far it was one hundred percent lethal. No one had survived it. No one was immune.

And no one was safe.

"There's... there's something else," Isane said, muffling a cough behind her hand, as much out of proper manners as it was to keep from spreading the illness. "Important..."

Sakura laid a comforting hand over hers, giving a comforting squeeze which Isane appreciated. "What is it? I'm listening."

"The... the shinobi infected... they have an additional symptom," Isane managed between coughs. Lord Tekka arrived with some water, which helped her clear her throat, and then politely excused himself while Sakura listened for more.

"Shinobi infected can't..." cough "... can't mold chakra..." cough "... can't use ninjutsu. It hits so fast... helpless..."

A fist of spasming coughs interrupted her again, and Sakura could tell she was in no condition to continue. Snapping her hands together to form a seal, she gently tapped two fingers to Isane's forehead. The older, silver-haired medic-nin went out like a light, and Sakura gently lay her back down on the cot so she could rest.

"Helpless... gonna kill us all..." Isane murmured in a fever-inducted dream.

The pink-haired medic-nin bit her lip. This was looking worse and worse by the minute.

And it was all on her now.

* * *

Later that evening, Rock Lee came across his team leader slumped over, unconscious, and faintly snoring beside one of the patients cots. A cursory glance suggested nothing unpleasant had happened, merely that she'd worn herself out from working so hard for so long. It was admirable, really, to see such dedication. Rock Lee felt his eyes grow misty at the sight of it, his beloved Sakura, working so hard, no doubt filled with the energy of the Springtime of Youth.

Wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, Lee gently reached down and picked her up in his arms to carry her to the medical quarters that had been set up for them next to the infirmary. Sai and Naruto had gone there sometime earlier to get some dinner, as well as make themselves comfortable. Lord Tekka had returned to the manor.

The homestead in question beside the restaurant-turned-infirmary was smallish, and likely owned by the town's baker, since it smelled of stale bread. Whatever the case, its owners had abandoned it, either dead from the plague or hiding out in one of the other districts to avoid it. Naruto and Sai were set up camp (so to speak) in one of the side rooms, while Lee carried Sakura to the bedroom and set her down, careful not to wake her.

His pink-haired angel was muttering something in her sleep, but he couldn't quite make it out. Nor, he decided was it any of his business.

Even so, Rock Lee spent the remainder of the night outside of Sakura's bedchambers, standing watch. Although they were in a friendly town, something felt off about this whole mission. Something he couldn't quite place his finger on. And he'd learned to trust his instincts when it came to such things.

He would not let anything happen to his beloved Sakura, were his last thoughts as his heavy eyelids began to descend...

* * *

_The beep of machines. Rapid. Angry._

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

_"... pulse is racing...!"_

_"_Shousen Jutsu_!"_

_"Open his shirt!"_

_"_Shousen Jutsu_!"_

_"Prepare me the usual medicine, double dosage."_

_Beepbeep. Beep. Beepbeep. Beep._

_"_Shousen Jutsu_!"_

_"Sakura, move, we need access-...!"_

_"His hearts going to give out!"_

_Beepbeepbeepbeep._

_A scream._

_"_SHOU-SEN JUT-SU_!!"_

_Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep._

_Silence._

_Then crying._

_"Time of Death..."_

* * *

Jade eyes snapped open as Sakura sat upright, gasping... only to realize she wasn't in the Konoha hospital. She was in a bedroom of some sort, the covers resting around her. Then it all came flooding back in an instant. Takaki village. The Crimson Plague. She was on a mission. Sighing in some relief, shaking the dark dream away, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and smoothed out her skirt. Her clothes were rumpled badly, evidently she'd slept in them, but there wasn't much she could do about that now.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she crossed the room to the doorway and out into the hall, hoping to find something to eat. She'd skipped dinner last night, too busy trying to ease the patients suffering in the infirmary. As she drew the door open, she blinked, idly wondering if she was still dreaming. But no, despite the odd sight before her, it seemed real enough.

Rock Lee was standing guard outside of her door... fast asleep... and still standing.

Puzzled, she reached up a hand to try and tap him on the shoulder. "Lee? It's morning."

He continued to doze, seemingly unaware of her. She was about to try again when she remembered one of Naruto's mission stories, about how Rock Lee had fought off one of the Seven Mist Swordsmen, Raiga, while he'd been unconscious. Fighting purely by muscle memory. If that was so, he might misinterpret her waking him up as an attack. Really not in the mood to start the morning with a sparring match, Sakura made her way down to the kitchen. Maybe the smell of cooking would wake him up.

She'd just settled down with a good meal (studying as a kunoichi had taught her some basic homemaking skills, and studying as a medic-nin had taught her a thing or two about herbs) when there came a knock at the door, interrupting her meal.

She opened it to find the smiling, handsome face of the young lord Tekka.

"Morning," he said cheerfully. "Mind if I come in?"

"I... uh... sure," she said, making her way back to the table and scooping up some more of her cooking, setting it aside for him on a spare plate. Part of her admonished herself for doing that, she'd been cooking it for her teammates. The other part of herself told her to stop worrying. She was just being polite to the lord of the village. And her teammates weren't helpless. Well, Naruto could barely boil water to make his ramen, but Lee and Sai would be fine. They'd be able to make do with what was left.

"Here, sorry its nothing better," she stated, setting his plate before him and digging into her own meal. Rice and some over-fried bacon mostly, with some stale bread and some water to wash it down. "We're almost out of water too. I'll have to head down to refill at the town well later."

Tekka smiled warmly. "Oh there's no need for that. I'll have a barrel delivered to the house within the hour."

"There's really no need," protested Sakura half-heartedly.

"I insist. Besides, its not the meal I care about, it's the company," he stated with a warm smile. One that really did wonders for his handsome face. Sakura, despite herself, was blushing at the unexpected attention.

"T-thank you," she replied, looking down.

"I was also hoping for a chance to speak to you about the plague," he stated, after he was halfway through his meal. "Have you learned anything useful? Anything new, that is?"

She sighed heavily, shaking her head, pink locks bouncing. "Definitely nothing useful," she replied. "Just what I've learned from you and Isane. None of my treatments are working either. Nothing stops this damn thing. Just slows it down," she muttered. A deep sigh escaped her, and she suddenly felt the weight of last night overtake her.

"Sakura-san, relax. You're doing your best," he assured her. "Besides, you shouldn't frown. Wrinkles are most unbecoming on such a pretty young lady."

She giggled faintly at that, a tiny smile gracing her features. "My best isn't good enough, evidently."

"Let's not hear more talk like that," he said, crossing to her side of the table. "I have the utmost confidence in you."

She peered up at him in awe, a complete stranger, saying such things. And such things resonating so deeply within her. Some untouched part of herself she'd so rarely let herself experience...

The door slammed open, and Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Morning!" announced Naruto, and not for the first time, Sakura wondered how anyone could be so cheerful at such an ungodly hour. But her blonde teammate evidently had energy to spare even first thing in the morning. "Mmm, something smells good. Did you make breakfast, Sakura-chan?" he asked, oblivious to her inner musings.

Rolling her eyes and muttering something about stupid blondes, Sakura replied darkly "No, Naruto. Go make your own."

"Fine, I'll just go cook some ramen. Morning, Lord Tekka," he said with a gracious nod.

"Uzumaki," the young lord replied coolly. He wasn't impolite, but it did seem he didn't care for Naruto's presence. Or at least, not for his arrival at that particular moment. Sakura could scarcely believe it. Had he been about to touch her? Did he like her? For that matter, did she like him? Sure he was a lord, but was also charming, handsome, friendly... a little clumsy, maybe, but not nearly as bad as he let on. He had a great sense of humor. And in the right light, he almost looked a little light...

"Hey Sakura do we have any water to boil?"

She frowned again. "Not for a bit, just got to the well, Naruto," she said, rubbing her temples, trying to fight back a headache. She barely noticed as Naruto slipped out the door.

"Maybe we could talk more outside, Sakura-san?" asked Tekka after a moment.

She smiled, thanking him for his suggestion, and took him up on it. They adjourned to the yards, and she had enough time to reorder her thoughts. She was here on a mission, after all. To save peoples lives, not to be seduced by the charming young lord. Medicine. Not flirting.

"Your team is all composed of... genin, aren't they?" asked Tekka after a moment, leaning back against one of the fences... and nearly stumbling backwards when it proved to be a closed gate instead. He rubbed the back of his head self-consciously as he tested his next perch before placing his full weight against it.

"No, just Naruto," replied Sakura. "Lee and I are Chuunins, and Sai is..." she frowned, pausing. She'd never really thought about it much before, but she wasn't quite sure about Sai's rank. Not that ranks seemed to hold much weight in the Root ANBU divisions. "... still testing for such," she settled on, not missing a beat. Partly true, she supposed. "You know about shinobi ranks?" she inquired.

He smiled again, seemingly unaware of how dazzling she found it. "I have family who were shinobi," he replied. "My brother, in particular, rose to be a jounin."

"Really? Wow. Only the very best get to be picked to become jounin," said Sakura.

"Clearly not the very best, or you'd be ranked so, Sakura-san," he replied deftly. She blushed softly at that.

"I'm not half as good as my teammates are outside of medicine," she confessed. "They're much more talented than I."

"Really? Those three?" he asked, seemingly in disbelief. "Tell me more," he inquired politely, leaning forward. And though he listened and commented politely to her stories about Naruto, Lee, and Sai... it was obvious his interest was focused solely on her alone.

* * *

**Author's Notes:  
**The Isane here is loosely based on the character of the same name from the Bleach franchise. And seriously, does anyone know Sai's rank? It sure as heck isn't Genin, I know that.


	4. Treatment

Later, Sakura reluctantly bid farewell to the Lord Tekka, whom had pressing matters back at his manor to deal with. He bid a farewell as he stepped down the path, pausing only to bow before Sakura, taking her hand in his and bestowing a chaste kiss on the back of her hand before he departed.

Sakura's eyes were little pink hearts.

Watching from the doorway of the house, Naruto's and Lee's glared daggers at the back of Lord Tekka.

Sai was, naturally, oblivious to the interplay, and simply found it interesting.

Since the boys had been at work on their breakfast, Sakura made her way back into the house to outline the days plans. Starting by putting their individual talents to better use than they'd been the day before. "We've got a lot to do today," she said. "And I want each of you to do something for me and get it done as quick as possible. The sooner, the better."

As one, the three boys nodded, their attention all on her.

"Naruto and Lee, I want you to go out into the forest and locate this herb," she said, placing on the table before him a drawing she'd worked on a little earlier. It was a crude sketching, really, but she hoped it would help. "The leaves are triangular, and the petals here are blue. Dark blue. It's fairly easy to find, and it's a useful substitute when real medicine starts to run low. Like now," she added softly. "Go out and gather as much as you possibly can. The leaves are of vital importance, but the whole thing is useful. Got it?"

"Got it," Naruto replied, adjusting his forehead protector.

"Roger," Lee said with a salute.

"Sai," she said, turning to the final member of their team as she tugged on her gloves and began to cover the lower portion of her face behind a mask. "I want you to visit the Takaki Library. It's in the northwestern district, should be easy enough to find. Go there and do some research on this plague. I want you to see if it matches any historical illnesses. Anything you find, get back to me."

He nodded, still smiling.

"Right, go!"

As one, Naruto and Lee turned and practically ran into one another trying to make it out the door first, then raced down the street, leaping up onto rooftops and bouncing clear over the village walls and out into the forest surrounding the town of Takaki. Shaking her head, at once grateful and tired of all that boundless energy the two knuckleheads had, she turned down the street and made her way to the sick house, beginning her early morning preparations. Sai also made a much more dignified exit, taking his time as he lightly jogged northwards towards the library.

* * *

Elsewhere...

"Alright!" said Naruto, throwing his satchel over his shoulder. "I'm going to get Sakura all of the herbs she needs," he said, pumping his fist into the air.

"Ooh Naruto-kun! If I cannot surpass the number of herbs you find, I swear I will walk back to Takaki on my hands!" replied Lee with a wide smile.

"Sounds fair," Naruto conceded. "And if_ I_ lose, then I do the same. Only once this mission is over I walk on my hands all the way back to Hidden Leaf itself."

"It is a promise!" he said, sealing the deal with his customary 'nice guy' pose.

As one, the two boys broke away and went tearing into the underbrush with such enthusiasm that most woodland creatures could only assume that an army had come to destroy their home and were sent fleeing in droves, even as Naruto and Lee tore up plant after plant, examining them quickly, tossing aside those that did not match. Those that bore even a passing resemblance to the herbal flowers was thrust into their satchels as they ran along. After a short while they split up and went in separate directions so as to find better hunting ground. Though their mind was on the mission, a little healthy competition helped to sharpen their senses. And hoping to impress Sakura didn't hurt much either, at least not at the moment, when she wasn't there to appreciate their efforts.

* * *

Elsewhere...

After managing to get lost in the rather confusing tangle of streets that was the northern district (mostly run down shops and lumber yards) Sai finally managed to locate the Takaki library. As Sakura had assured him, it was fairly easy once it came into view, and it was an impressive sight, almost as big as the one back in Konoha. It was, however, deserted, a sign on the front saying it would be closed for an indefinite period of time.

Sai quirked an eyebrow at this, but decided better than to question it. Instead, he put to use the skills his mentor had instilled in him, and slipped inside. He didn't even disturb the thin layer of dust gathering on the doorknob.

Situated, he began browsing the books, pulling down shelf after shelf of tomes. History, medicine, town records, anything that might've had what they were looking for. He piled some on a nearby table and began to pour over the pages with practiced speed, his dark eyes darting over each page before he flipped it over to the next one. He was a quick reader, but there was a lot of material to cover, and even the slightest detail would've been useful to them now.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Elsewhere...

"Message from the Hidden Village sir," intoned one of Lord Tekka's aids, a hawk perched on his shoulder. With practiced ease he tugged the tiny message from its location on the bird's ankle, and passed it to the young lord of Takaki town. His dark eyes darted over the white parchment, studying the symbols found there. A frown creased his forehead.

"A delay?" he asked.

"It seems so sir."

"Hmmm... well not much we can do about that. We'll simply have to do all we can for Sakura-chan and her teammates while they're here," he remarked as he leaned back in his chair. "Any news on her efforts?"

"Still no closer to finding a cure. Her teammates are searching but they'll likely never find it."

Lord Tekka rolled his eyes. "She's told me all about her teammates. None of them have enough brain cells to fill a kunai pouch. No, Sakura is the only one who can possibly help the people of Takaki now," he said, leaning forward. "Keep a closer eye on her, and let me know if she discovers anything. I want to be informed the instant such occurs."

"Sir," replied the messenger, snapping his heels together.

"Oh, and also," murmured the young lord as an afterthought, already penning something down on his desk. "Deliver this to her, if you would. And prepare the usual for dinner. Two places tonight, I think."

* * *

In the infirmary, surrounded by the dead and dying, Sakura brushed the back of her hand against her forehead, wiping away the sweat gathering there. It was interminably hot in the restaurant-converted-sick house, and despite nearly all the windows being open it felt like a sauna. And not the good kind of sauna, the kind she'd no doubt need when this was all over. No, this was unpleasant in the extreme. But she tolerated it and kept working, applying the medical supplies and her own healing jutsus to the patients to sooth their suffering.

She'd talked with Isane again as well, but the older medic-nin had been in much worse shape, her body was already covered in dark red bruises, and it was only a matter of time before she broke out into lesions. She was borderline delirious as well, talking about no hope and them all dying, and Sakura had been forced to sedate her again. And even then, she kept muttering in her sleep. This prompted the pink-haired kunoichi to work on patients on the other side of the room. Not out of dislike, but fear. She could very easily end up the same way despite all her precautions. If she didn't discover the source of the plague, and fast.

"A cure would be nice as well," she muttered, sedating a little boy whose skin was already breaking out into blood-red lesions.

"Lady Haruno?" came a voice, causing her to glance up. It was one of the town guards.

"It's Sakura," she replied, nodding him over with her head, since her hands were busy. "What is it?"

"Lord Tekka has a message for you," he stated, setting a sealed scroll on the table beside her. "I believe it concerns a message from the Hidden Leaf village."

Intrigued, Sakura shucked her gloves, washed her hands, and snapped the scroll open, perusing it with a curious eye. What she saw, however, surprised her.

It certainly wasn't what she was expecting.

* * *

Rock Lee felt exhilarated, as he always did when he was out working up a sweat and, even more so, when a challenge had been made. And, unlike Naruto, he had a fair idea of what he was doing. Due to his rather frequent trips to the hospital, because of over-training injuries, Tsunade and Sakura had decided to put his boundless energy to good use with similar work. They used it as a way to keep him from training while injured and still be active. He recognized the herb that his beloved Sakura-chan wanted, and he imagined he'd have enough to distribute to the whole town of Takaki by the end of the day.

Locating another one of the blue-flowered herbs, Rock Lee plucked it up and tucked it into his satchel, immediately continuing his search for the next one. However, he was interrupted by a low growling sound.

And after a few moments, he realized it was coming from him. More specifically, from the stomach region. His meager breakfast had already been completely finished off, and it hungered for more. He came to an abrupt halt at the next tree, and frowned as a second realization hit him. He and Naruto had never formally settled on a time for their wager. And if Lee was hungry, Naruto must have been starving. His hyperactive metabolism made it so he could pour back bowl after bowl of ramen and barely gain and ounce (something which irked Yamanaka Ino to absolutely no end).

Sprinting up into the trees, Rock Lee took off in the direction his teammate had gone, scouring the forest floor for signs of Naruto. Finding the Uzumaki shinobi should've been easy, his bright orange jumpsuit, though now trimmed in black, was still painfully easy to spot under most circumstances. However, a short while passed and he found no sign of him. Deciding he must've gone back for lunch already, Lee pivoted on his next leap, pushing off of the tree branch, and sped back towards the village of Takaki, checking to make sure his papers were in order (tucked behind his forehead protector as they were) so he could get back in with the herbs he had.

* * *

Nestled into the heavy pine forests of the Fire Country, the small grove was almost easily overlooked, and had seemed ideal at the time to Uzumaki to taking a short break from his herb-gathering. He -was- very hungry, as Lee had suspected, but he'd swiped a loaf of bread and a bottle of water he'd filled up at the town well earlier in the day, and was snacking now as he rested his weary feet, lying back against one of the heavy pine trees. Because of this, the branches shielded him as his teammate passed overhead, and since both Lee and Naruto had abysmal skills at sensing chakra, they completely missed one another.

Taking a swig of his bottle, breathing heavily from his exertions, Naruto checked his pack, making sure the herbs were doing alright. He wasn't 100% sure they were all the sort of plant that his Sakura wanted, but better more than less, he'd decided. Some of them, at least, he was certain of. At least he didn't have to find one specific-looking bug amongst a billion again.

Sighing softly as a wave of weariness washed over him, Naruto leaned back more fully against the tree trunk. He certainly was tired, which was odd for him. He'd barely gotten any sleep last night, but that usually never slowed him down. But he -had- been creating an awful lot of shadow clones, and frequently, to search for herbs in a wider radius. And when they dispelled, their weariness transferred to him. Just like during his training with Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-taicho.

_Oh well, maybe a short nap wouldn't hurt_, he thought to himself, unzipping the front of his jacket to let cool air circulate more easily. Finishing off the bottle water, Naruto's eyes drifted closed as he leaned against the tree and drifted off to sleep, knocking the bottle of water over. The remaining few mouthfuls of liquid spilled out of the uncapped bottle, splashing lightly over the surrounding foliage.

* * *

So engrossed was he with his reading that Sai didn't notice the hour until the glare from the setting sun reflected through the window of the library, making it difficult to read. Deciding that his time was up, he closed his current book and placed it aside. He'd managed to find only one book that could really help, a historical recording of the First Shinobi War. It had a multitude of references on when Takaki had been one of the big battlegrounds between the Earth and Fire countries. And although they were hard to spot, Sai had noted during the recovery years (which had been hard on a lot of nations and villages) there had been numerous mentions of plagues brought in by their neighbors to the northwest, which they had no immunity to. And at least one of them was mentioned as a 'burning from within' disease. That alone was enough to set off warning bells in his mind.

Slipping the book into his pack, Sai made his way back to the temporary lodgings he and his teammates were sharing. Finding only Rock Lee present, enjoying some dinner, he inquired as to the whereabouts of Sakura and Naruto.

"Sakura received information from Lord Tekka," Lee replied with a faint frown. "She is at his manor discussing a message that came from Konoha earlier today. Naruto I have not seen. He must still be gathering herbs in the forest."

Glancing out the window at the setting sun, Sai quirked an eyebrow. Lee shrugged. Naruto was Naruto. Who could really predict how his thought-process worked. "What was the information from Konoha?" Sai inquired as he took a seat, setting the heavy tome he'd carried under his arm on the table.

"Apparently, the Fifth received our message. She's trying to organize another team, but there've been delays. We are on our own for a while."

The paler boy nodded, having expected as much. "Anything else?"

"Not really. What is this for?" he asked, tapping the tome.

"Research," replied Sai. "Sakura's request, trying to find comparisons between the Crimson Plague and other diseases," he explained, even as he leaned back in his chair and began some light reading of his own. Rock Lee glanced at the title curiously.

'_Boy and Girl Interactions_'

Shrugging, the spandex clad boy turned back to his meal, finishing it off. Without further orders, he'd do some light workouts then head to bed. He wanted to be ready bright and early tomorrow when Sakura was back, in case he was needed again. Nearby, Sai ignored him as he began his one-handed, handstand pushups.

"One... two... three..."

* * *

Tekkas manor was normally a bustle of activity, even this late in the evening, but today, only two occupants filled the entire building. One was, obviously, Lord Tekka. The other was the medic-nin Haruno Sakura. True, there were some guards stationed at the entrances, but for the most part, it was only the two of them in the whole expansive building.

Sakura had been invited to dinner shortly after her rounds at the infirmary, and was delighted to find a much better meal than the breakfast she'd been forced to endure this morning (she'd skipped lunch, she was on a diet). The fact that she had to share her time with the Lord of Takaki made things all the more wonderful, to her mind.

They made some small talk, he'd let her know about the communiqué from the Hidden Village concerning a delay, and she's given him the latest on her treatments of the victims. Though she didn't go into much detail, she explained how a precise mixture of herbs and chakra had managed to slow the course of the disease in its latter stages, prolonging a victims lifespan. It gave them more time to discover a cure, though it was barely an extra day. And they'd lost some more today. About a half-dozen, including two medic-nins.

"Sounds like you've had it rough," Tekka remarked, dabbing at his face with a napkin. "Aren't your teammates helping at all?"

"Oh, certainly," she replied. "Naruto and Lee are out gathering herbs. They should be able to get quite a bit before I need to go back tomorrow."

"More suited to their talents, I imagine," remarked Tekka thoughtfully. "I wish I could help as well, but I don't know any ninjutsu."

She giggled softly at that. "Neither does Lee, but I get what you're saying."

He blinked in mild surprise at that. "Your bushy-browed teammate can't use ninjutsu?" he asked, suddenly curious.

Sakura nodded, sipping her water, which had been drawn fresh from the private supplies of the manor, and was icy cold. "Mmhmm. Or genjutsu. He's... well its kind of weird but he'd never been able to mold chakra at all."

"How did he ever make chuunin then, I wonder? Oh well, I suppose Konoha must know what it's doing. They sent me you, after all."

Dinner continued after that, and even once it was over, Sakura couldn't quite bring herself to leave just yet. So she stayed and talked with the kindly lord Tekka, telling him all about her missions and teammates and the wide world outside of the Takaki town. And he listened to her with rapt attention.

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes:

I got nothing. 


	5. Symptoms

Sakura returned to her comfortable bed feeling much more rested that night. Unfortunately, she was likely the only one who had a good night's sleep. Lee and Sai decided to pull another set of all-nighters, with Lee maintaining his vigilance over Sakura, and Sai studying the historical book he'd acquired at the library. But worst among them, however, was Naruto. He did not return at all that night. When morning came, his teammates began to get very concerned for him.

Lee, being their fastest runner, was dispatched to find him, while Sakura and Sai poured over the tome. Sai had dutifully tagged some pages he thought would help, though naturally he wasn't quite sure what to be looking for.

Tucking an errant strand of pink hair behind her ear and leaning her cheek against her palm, Sakura flipped another page, jade eyes scanning the lines for some clue, sorting through the myriad junk that instead greeted them. It seemed the chief chronicler, whom had penned the book, had been more interested in recording the numbers of the dead and waxing about superstitions than in cold hard facts. It made it difficult to find anything relevant concerning the Crimson Plague. If indeed there was anything to find.

"_During the final nights of the Rock Ninjas invasion, a plague broke out amongst the populace, hitting hardest amongst the guards and shinobi stationed in Takaki, several of whom could not draw breath between coughing and heavy smoke spreading over the village. It is said screams were garbled by blood, and bodies became red before they hit the ground. The Rock shinobi proved more resilient to this disease, suggesting it originated in the Stone Country, but no proof was ever given regarding this fact. Regardless, sheer numbers enabled the fighters of Takaki to rally and drive back the enemy, and many members of the Hebi Clan were slaughtered, their snake familiars cut down and crushed. The Kamizuru clan remained behind and their poisonous hornets inflicted much damage, but ultimately..._"

Sakura paused briefly, re-reading that last passage. A thought came to her, and she reminded herself to ask Naruto if she was right.

An idea began to form in her mind, teasing together images and thoughts and stringing them together like pieces of a puzzle. It wasn't complete yet, but she could almost see a complete idea forming. Slowly.

Instructing Sai to continue searching the book for clues, she set out for the makeshift clinic to do her daily rounds.

* * *

Suddenly, the door slammed open, having been kicked that way by Lee's booted foot. Sakura was instantly on her feet as Lee swept inside, carrying an instantly-identifiable orange-clad shinobi, whom he placed on the kitchen counter. He wasn't wearing any gloves, but he was none-the-less careful to avoid any sort of skin-to-skin contact as he lay Naruto down on the counter. His whole countenance was pale, and Sakura, instantly worried, needed only a glance to tell why.

Uzumaki Naruto's skin was blistering red.

"Oh no..."

Tugging on some gloves to protect her, Sakura placed her hands down quickly on Naruto, giving out a chakra pulse to identify his dilemma, even though the evidence was staring her right in the face. The blonde boy moaned, tilting his head to the side as a green glow enveloped her fingertips. There was no mistaking it. Advanced Crimson Plague. But how had he contracted the virus? And how had he progressed so quickly?

Sakura quickly ran through the usual treatments for the plague, trying to slow it down, but to her growing horror, nothing seemed to work. Lee, unslinging the pack Naruto had stuffed almost to the brim with blue flowers, helped clear aside a cot, and the two of them transferred Naruto to it so she could more easily work on him. But nothing seemed to help.

"_Shousen jutsu! Shousen jutsu! SHOUSEN JUTSU! SHOU-SEN JU-TSU_!!!" she all but screamed, slamming her hands down onto Naruto's chest, emerald energy pouring from her hands into his chest. To no avail. She may as well have been trying to move a river with her bare hands. Each time she poured the chakra into another healing jutsu, the energy washed through Naruto and dissipated, vanishing uselessly. Naruto, whom she loved like an annoying little brother, was only continuing to get worse. Wiping away the tears starting to form at the corners of her eyes, she formed the seals for another medical jutsu.

"Sakura-san...!" Strong hands clasped over her wrists, holding her back.

"Let go of me Lee!" she cried, tears pouring down over her cheeks as she struggled vainly against him. Hopelessly, it seemed. Even without Lee's considerable strength against her own (the gap of which was growing smaller with each passing year), she was weak, exhausted, and nearly completely drained of chakra.

"I cannot do that, Sakura-san," he replied calmly, still holding her hands down. "If you continue to do this, you'll burn off not only your chakra but all the life left in you..."

"I don't care! I have to save him! I have to save Sa-Naruto!"

Lee noticed the slip but politely refrained from mentioning it. "You will," he replied evenly. "But not like this."

All the strength seemed to slip out of her. Unable to struggled, unable to argue, Sakura collapsed, sobbing, against Rock Lee, who held her gently in his arms and stroked the back of her head, doing his best to try and comfort her, though he was hopelessly out of his league. He'd never had to do anything like this before. Normally -he- was the one who was needing comfort. And somehow he doubted if one of Gai-sensei's motivational speeches would cheer up Sakura the way it did for him.

Besides, right now, even he was feeling scared. He glanced down at the poor, shaking form of Naruto lying on the cot beside them. Already the lesions were starting to form on his skin. They'd removed his jacket and t-shirt, setting them on a nearby table. He'd never once regained consciousness since Lee had found him. He could have just as easily fainted the other day when he'd been gathering herbs, and none of them had been any the wiser. Likely even Naruto hadn't noticed anything wrong... right up until he'd collapsed.

"Stubborn idiot," muttered Sakura, choking back another sob against Lee's spandex-covered chest. "Why did you... why does he have to... why do they always... aaaaghhh..." she sobbed again heavily, tears flowing freely. And Rock Lee just held her. He didn't have any answers. All he could offer right now was his support, and even that seemed painfully insufficient right now. But she took hold of anything she'd been given and hung onto it for dear life.

Finally, after a long few moments, she drew her head back, dried her tears, and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. She was a professional medic-nin. She had to act professionally. Even if it was Naruto on the table right now. She drew on Lee's strength to regain some of her own, turning to regard him.

"I'm better now," she said. "Thank you, Lee-san."

He nodded, not having any words.

Something clicked in the back of her head. "I just remembered, I wanted to ask... " she glanced down at the cot, shivering a little, but quickly collected herself. "But maybe you know. Naruto mentioned once he'd had a conflict with Rock ninja before, didn't he?"

Rock Lee scrunched up his face, furrowing his bushy eyebrows in thought. "Yes," he stated after a moment. "He was searching for a bug..."

"With Kurenai's Team."

"Yes! Yes that's it exactly. And they encountered some Rock ninja who used bug techniques, just like Shino-kun." He recalled this mission rather well, it was one Naruto spoke of often. And not wholly because of the fun they'd had beating up Rock bug-users, but because of the mysterious girl he'd seen during the trip.

"With poison?" she asked.

He frowned at that. "I'm not certain... I think so. Why?"

"It's an idea I'm working on. This... this plague... it doesn't work like a normal disease, whatever it is. So I'm having to expand my options. And one of them is that it's not a disease proper, but poison. Whether natural or man-made... I'm not quite sure yet. I need more information first."

"You also need to rest," replied Lee. "You're pushing yourself hard enough as it is."

Reluctantly, she nodded. "I'll go do some reading then. Maybe I can find out more. Uhm, Lee, I know you've already been out today, but we're running low on supplies..."

He saluted. "Say no more. I will scour the forests until they are devoid of foliage if that is what is required of me."

As usual, his cheesy, overly cheerful attitude helped her relax, if only just a little. A faint smiled tugged at her lips. "Thank you. And Lee, whatever you do, if you start to feel even the slightest bit sick, I want you back here. No powering through, no trying to overcome by sheer stamina... here. Immediately. Got it?" She fixed him with a glare worthy of Tsunade on a really bad day, and fortunately, it seemed he got the message.

"Roger."

"Head out as soon as Sai gets here. I'll have him tend to Naruto while I check over the history book," she added as she slipped out of the makeshift infirmary.

The spandex-clad shinobi watched her go, silent lamenting he could not do more for his pink-haired angel. _I fear this is one danger I cannot protect you from_, he thought, feeling a shudder wrack his wiry frame. He glanced down again at the body of his teammate, and he grimaced at the sight of the hyperactive blonde so quiet and still.

Rock Lee and Uzumaki Naruto had quickly become the closest of friends after the chuunin exams. Both outcasts, both dropout losers (as Neji would've said back then), both fiercely determined to prove themselves. And despite Naruto's favored use of the_ rasengan_ and_ kage bunshin_ techniques, he remained a shinobi who preferred an up-close and personal confrontation in a fight, much like Lee did. They had a lot in common. And they made really good sparring partners because of it. They were even united by their protective feelings towards a certain pink-haired kunoichi. Feelings that might've resulted in a rather painful rivalry if Sakura hadn't unequivocally chosen someone who wasn't either of them.

_Naruto-kun, you had best get better_, he thought. _And not just for her sake_.

* * *

Hours continued to pass. People continued to get sick. Sai relieved Lee at the infirmary, letting the latter go to gather herbs, while Naruto continued to worsen, and Sakura continued to pour over the history book in hopes of uncovering some answer to the Crimson Plague. Some clue or sign she'd overlooked which would mean she could find the perfect cure. But as the hours continued to pass, her frustration grew. Finally, she slammed her palms down against the table and stood. She needed some fresh air.

So it was she found herself sitting atop of her temporary lodgings roof. Lunchtime had come and gone, but she found herself devoid of appetite. But she knew she had to eat to keep up her strength. And if she didn't, she thought with a bemused image in her mind, Lee would insist she did once he got back. So it was she polished off some rice balls, nibbling on the ends as she sat on the roof, the afternoon sunlight washing over her. It didn't help in the slightest. She still felt chilled to the bone. The food was like ash in her mouth.

And all the while, her mind kept pouring over the information she'd gathered, searching for a way...

A sudden bump startled her, nearly sending her tumbling over the roof, as she turned and saw a ladder having been placed against the side of the building. After a moment, its owner revealed himself, the dark hair and eyes of Lord Tekka becoming visible. He climbed up the ladder to join her on the roof, though he himself nearly lost his balance before she caught his hand, steadying him.

"Lord Tekka? Is something wrong?"

"Oh nothing of the sort... well I mean apart from the plague, natural-..." his voice trailed off as he saw Sakura's sad eyes, and his humor almost instantly evaporated. "... something -is- wrong," he remarked.

Naturally, she told him. She could never keep anything from Tekka, he had such an honest face and a kind demeanor. And he looked so much like...

But he wasn't, her inner self reminded her. He's not him. He never will be. Lord Tekka wasn't like her childhood crush in a lot of ways, save appearance. He wouldn't have made a good shinobi, for one thing, he wasn't very strong or fast or agile. He was kinder, too, more eager to laugh and joke and smile. And his resemblance was vague at best, his features clearly weren't the same, though they were similar. Perhaps Tekka's family were related to the Uchiha Clan, but it seemed unlikely. But she realized, the more time she spent around him, the more she could see Sasuke in Lord Tekka.

Or maybe, the Sasuke she'd always wanted to see in Lord Tekka.

He was silent a moment after she told him about Naruto, and about how much she was worried. Not just about him, but the whole village. After a moment of reflection, he spoke again. "This isn't the first time you've lost someone dear to you, is it?" he asked gently.

Startled, she turned to him, and realized she'd never even spoken about Sasuke. Or...

"... no," she replied after a moment, shaking her head. "No I've lost two people now. The first was... was..."

"Someone very close to you, right?"

She nodded.

"And the other was quite recent, I'm guessing?"

Startled a little by his perception, she turned to study him more closely, and noticed his sad gaze seemed elsewhere. He wasn't just sympathizing with her pain (though she could see he was). He was reliving some of his own. "You lost someone as well, didn't you?"

"My big brother," he replied solemnly, brushing some imaginary lint from his dark blue garments. "He was a shinobi too, just like you all. He perished on a mission far south of here, near the Wind Country border. Something very secretive... they... they still can't give out many details," he added with a soft sigh. "I miss him."

"... I lost a patient recently. At the hospital where I do part-time work. He'd had a heart condition long before he came to the hospital, it wasn't any surprise really. But... but he was more than a patient to me..."

She closed her eyes, trying to keep the images at bay, but they came anyway.

* * *

_Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep._

_Silence._

_Then crying._

_"Time of Death... three am from heart failure."_

_Sakura collapsed, dimly aware she'd fallen into a seat at the back of the room. She couldn't believe what was happening. She just couldn't. It defied her very perception of reality, warping it like some terrible genjutsu. Except that this was real. Terribly, horribly, real. She'd been around the dead before, of course. With her training in the medical arts it had been fairly inevitably she'd have to learn the mysteries of flesh and blood through cadavers. And she'd seen the living, she'd known the old man most of her life, and here at the hospital for almost a month now, providing what comfort she could and helping him to eat and rest._

_But now was the very first time in her entire life she'd seen death outside of a shinobi fight. A death not caused by a deliberate act._

_And like mortals, she shivered in awe, and trembled in fear at the awesome power of death. And it's awesome cruelty._

_Not twenty minutes ago the patient had been alive. Old, in pain, his heart failing him, but alive. Now he was dead. And no medic-nin in this world could bring him back from such a state. Not even the Legendary Tsunade herself._

_And she was responsible._

_"This wasn't your fault, Sakura," Tsunade breathed out in a heavy sigh, pinching the brow of her nose. Even for a much older, experienced medic-nin like herself, this sort of thing never got any easier. "Some people we... just can't save. No matter how hard we try. Or how much we care about them."_

_In her head, Sakura knew this to be true, and she nodded numbly. In her heart, however... well the heart wasn't so easy to convince. She'd already lost one person important to her because she hadn't been strong enough. She couldn't bear to go through that again._

_Dimly, she became vaguely aware of Shizune taking her shoulders and guiding her out of the room, as some of the full-time hospital personnel covered the body in black sheets. Since the older man had not been a shinobi, he would be burned and interred in one of the public cemeteries after his funeral. Someone handed Sakura some water, but she barely noticed when she drank it. She wasn't even crying... not yet at least. Tonight she would, after she bid mom and dad goodnight and went to her room in the house she still shared with them. Then it would hit her all at once and she'd fall into her bed sobbing, wondering where her innocent childhood had gone._

* * *

She would find a way to save those she cared about.

Even if she had to climb all the way down to Hell and personally kick the Death God's rear herself.

* * *

**Author's Notes:  
**While Sakura has faced death post-Timeskip in the forms of Chiyo and Sasori, this encounter happened in a different setting, and there is still more that has yet to be revealed that make it so impactful for her. Plus, of those two, one was a virtual stranger, and one was an enemy. I do not know what customs the Village of Konoha would have regarding their dead, but given their status as part of the Fire Country, one would think cremation would at least be a semi-viable option.


	6. Revelation

After a good night's sleep (thankfully free of nightmares) and a hearty breakfast later, Sakura was armed with fresh determination and strength. Naruto wasn't dead yet, and he wouldn't die if she had any say in the matter. And as her friends could testify to, once Haruno Sakura set her mind on something, you did_ not_ want to get in her way.

Returning to Naruto's beside, she found Sai wetting a washcloth, applying it to his blonde teammates forehead in a vain effort to keep him cool.

"Any changes?" she asked, as she stepped into the room with Lee. Naruto had been placed in an isolated part of the restaurant (a private back room) to keep him away from the others, since his symptoms were progressing so rapidly.

Sai shook his head. "None, and I have been here all night. He does not appear to have gotten any worse, however," he remarked, as he replaced the washcloth and gathered up his things, tucking his sketchbook into his pack. No doubt he'd been drawing while he was on shift. Sakura couldn't fault him there.

Tugging on her gloves, she began a cursory inspection of Naruto to determine if Sai's assessment was true. It seemed he was. His skin was a blistering blood-red in color, and the darker crimson of the lesions forming on his skin were very visible, but so far he did not seem...

... something caught Sakura's eye...

... frowning, she paused, almost missing it, then leaned in more closely as two seemingly separate thoughts in her mind suddenly clicked together.

"Lee?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder at the bowl-cut young man standing beside her.

"Yes?"

She indicated the lesions on Naruto's chest and torso and also along his stomach. "Does this pattern look familiar to you at all?"

Frowning faintly, Rock Lee leaned in to study the shape of the crimson marks. Curious, Sai did the same. After a moment, Rock Lee's eyes widened in shock, his bushy eyebrows climbing until they almost vanished into his bowl-cut.

"It... it looks like..."

"Tenketsu, isn't it?"

Lee reached up to his flak jacket, unzipping it and reaching into an inner pocket where he kept his handy little notebook, wherein he kept vital combat information and other such tidbits of wisdom he'd gained from Gai-sensei.

"Tenketsu?" asked Sai, as the spandex-clad shinobi began to flip through the book at a rapid pace.

Sakura nodded. "It's the flow-points in the chakra system," she explained patiently. "_Jyuuken_ users who are proficient enough can seal them with well-placed blows, cutting off a shinobi from his chakra. Without it..."

"No jutsus," the pale boy guessed. Sakura nodded. "What does that mean?"

"It means..." she started to reply, but was interrupted as Lee found the page he was seeking. On it was a complete tenketsu chart that Neji had helped him create. Having been on the receiving end of the attack once or twice when the two of them sparred, Lee had been anxious to learn more about his rival's abilities. And Neji had wanted a practice dummy to seal, since Lee hadn't been as affected by the attack as most shinobi would be, since his techniques were almost purely taijutsu based.

Accepting the small notebook from Lee, Sakura glanced at the chart, comparing it to the marks on Naruto's skin. Her hypothesis appeared to be correct. The lesions were forming in the exact same place as the tenketsu points.

"... it means this disease attacks the chakra system. _That_'s why the medic-nin were hit so badly," Sakura said aloud in realization. "More active chakra systems must be more susceptible to infection."

"That also explains why Naruto has gotten so bad," Sai added. "Few shinobi have more active systems than he does."

His look spoke volumes to her, and they were both silently reminded of the ever-present Kyuubi sealed away inside of the blonde, brash Uzumaki.

Lee, unaware of their conversations subtext, came to another realization. "You are at most risk here, Sakura," he stated. "We should remove you from this place at once." He reached down a hand, but Sakura gently batted it away, pulling out a metal box from her hip-pouch and drawing out some vials for testing.

"No, I'm staying."

"Sakura-san, you just said..."

"I'm well aware of what I just said," she replied, her voice perfectly calm as she stood and turned to face him. But her jade eyes flashed in a warning manner. "I also said I'm not leaving. So unless you two intend to pick me up bodily and haul me out of here..."

Her hand tightened, and the metal box in her hand creaked in protest, the metal warping underneath her fingertips. She didn't finish her threat, but her eyes did, and they promised untold pain if either Sai or Lee even considered such a thing. Possibly a neutering with a blunt instrument.

Rock Lee, however, did not back down easily. He swallowed and grimly replied "... if that is what it takes to keep you safe," he replied evenly and respectfully. But he lowered his hands and took a step back. Such actions were not yet necessary. Behind her, Sakura could sense Sai felt much the same way.

"I'm the only one who can help here," said Sakura, popping the cork off of two vials and pouring their contents together, re-corking the full vial and giving it a swirl to speed up the mixing. "I have to risk it. For Naruto's sake. For all these villagers. I'm not leaving."

"Neither of us is arguing with you," replied Sai evenly. "We're just concerned. Tell us, how can we help?"

Rock Lee nodded, though he was immeasurably tempted to grab up Sakura, throw her over his shoulder, and get them both as far away from the Crimson Plague as possible. Even if it would cost him insufferable pain, to say nothing of her eternal hatred. Hatred he could endure. Pain he was used to. Losing his beloved Sakura... he was not so certain he could live through. Nor did he wish to find out.

"I've got some new ideas," she stated. "Sai, go deliver a message to Lord Tekka. Take this down. Lee, go into the other room, grab up some of those blue flowers I've had you collect. I want to try a new extract." Lee was gone before she knew it, and back twice as fast. Sai, meanwhile, had unfurled a scroll and quill and was preparing to write down Sakura's message.

* * *

In the upper levels of his private manor, Lord Tekka climbed the stairs and locked himself in his private study, turning the key and slipping it into one of his inner pockets, then took a moment to make his way to the far window, watching as the pale, darkly clad shinobi named Sai departed his estate below. That he was a capable and dangerous opponent did not elude Tekka, for he saw behind that phony smile of his with ease.

However, that did not concern him nearly as much as it had originally. Once he was satisfied Sai was out of sight, he turned to proper matters at hand, notably the troubling new developments Sakura had unearthed. They threatened to ruin everything. Drawing out a scroll and dipping his own quill in ink, he scribed a quick message to the proper individuals, letting them know of the situation in question. Though none in Takaki knew it, their young lord was also a shinobi, his clumsiness and careless humor as much a disguise as any ANBU mask. Although only a chuunin (and that mostly because his teammates had helped him through the difficult chuunin qualifying exams) his unique skills had coaxed the village leaders to send him here. Most had been content to forget about him.

Until a month or so ago, when the plague had started.

And all hell had broken loose. _In more ways than one_, he mused.

Tying up the scroll neatly and sealing it with his personal emblem, he made his way over to a cage in the corner of the room, drawing out the messenger falcon contained therein. He quickly affixed the message to its leg.

"Fly swiftly," he instructed the flacon, giving it a light toss out the open window. It's wings spread and caught an updraft, and within moments it was on the move. No more than an hour or so until it reaches it destination and the message was delivered. Then things could finally get moving.

He shut the window, drew the drapes closed, and double-checked the lock on the door. He needed to be ready as well.

Tekka made his way to the wardrobe, yanking the doors open and shrugging off his ceremonial, dark blue robes in the process. He no longer had need of his everyday guise, as he pushed past a number of other light silk garments, tugging at the back of the wardrobe to reveal a hidden shelf behind it. Built into the wall, hidden from view, it contained an assortment of shinobi weapons and tools, including a forehead protector, though the dim light made the symbol difficult to make out. It also had some dark shinobi garments and a flak jacket suitable for his frame.

"Oh, if only I had been able to secure a little more time," he murmured to himself as he began to arm himself, strapping a holster onto his leg, a vest around his torso. He double checked his scrolls and kunai, ensuring everything was in its proper place. Though it had been ages since he had fought as a shinobi, his body remembered well how to move, and all the motions came flooding back.

He was ready.

But he doubted Takaki would be.

* * *

Three hours passed.

Rubbing her tired eyes, Sakura found it necessary to treat her own needs if she was to continue treating the patients. As well as assure both Lee and Sai she was in proper condition to do so. She'd found one particular brand of medicine and chakra usage that was proving invaluable in slowing the spread of the plague, but it sapped her strength greatly. So it was she found herself just past lunchtime with an empty belly and tired limbs, and reluctantly gave in to her teammates request to go get something to eat and drink. She now made her way to the center of town to get a drink of water from the Takaki well, leaving Sai and Lee behind to administer what she had been working on.

As she walked, her mind continued to buzz over the new information she had, relaying it against old information in hopes of further, deeper insight. She'd uncovered a vital piece of the puzzle, but by no means had solved it yet.

"The plague is spread by... no it can't just be touch," she surmised aloud as she lowered the bucket into the well. "Naruto's an idiot but he wouldn't have been infected that way, he was protected from the virus with gloves. So there must be more to it. Okay, it's spread however..." she waved her hand vaguely, thinking to come back to that point. "Then it attacks the chakra system... wears the victim out, causing collapse... red lesions... fever... burns them up from the inside. Takes out medic-nin first... it's almost like..."

Something clicked, and her eyes widened. Her hands, pulling up the bucket, paused... then began to shake.

"... almost like it was deliberate."

A sharp pain in her palms alerted her to the rope slipping between her fingers, and her hand snapped out, catching the rope before she dropped the barrel back down. Hauling it up, she placed it on the rim of the well, and began to take another look at the whole Takaki situation. Examining not from the angle of a medic-nin, but a shinobi proper.

"If I was a foreign shinobi and I wanted to attack a village in another country... a plague is ideal. Horrible, evil... but ideal. It's just like another kind of poison. No one can be blamed for it, it spreads quickly... kills or weakens the populace. The enemy sweeps in and occupies a village that occupies virtually no resistance. And Takaki is right on the border with Hidden Rock..."

Another piece of the puzzle fell into place.

_The Rock shinobi proved more resilient to this disease, suggesting it originated in the Stone Country, but no proof was ever given..._

"... who were also the attackers when the last sightings of this plague occurred..." she realized with growing horror. "They must have perfected it, and unleashed it onto the town, and..."

It was a horrifying, terrifying possibility. She felt herself go numb. To think all of this pain, all of this suffering... so many people dead... was all deliberately engineered by someone. That was wrong on a whole new level, an evil worthy of the likes of Akatsuki, or even Orochimaru. So wicked and heartless it made her wonder if the perpetrators were even human.

She barely noticed as she lifted up the cup to her lips, full of water from the well...

... and paused... another piece fitting into place.

_"We're almost out of water too. I'll have to head down to refill at the town well later."_

_Tekka smiled warmly. "Oh there's no need for that. I'll have a barrel delivered to the house within the hour."_

_"There's really no need," protested Sakura half-heartedly._

_"I insist..."_

_"Hey Sakura do we have any water to boil?"_

_She frowned. "Not for a bit, just got to the well, Naruto," she said, rubbing her temples. She barely noticed as Naruto slipped out the door._

She dashed the cup aside like it was a serpent, scattering water everywhere.

Sakura breathed in and out heavily, terribly aware of just how close she'd come to poisoning herself. It all made perfect sense. Naruto had come to the well but she and the others had been drinking from the barrel Lord Tekka had sent them. That must've been why he'd gotten sick while they were all in good condition. Worse, it explained why everyone else in the town was sick, this well was the center of town, practically everyone used it. Worse, it was completely unprotected. Virtually anyone could stroll by and drop anything into the well in the middle of the night. And that was what had started the plague.

"If that's how it's transmitted... if it's deliberate... they... whoever_ they_ are... must have a cure of their own," she realized with a start. No way someone would be stupid enough to unleash something so virulent and dangerous and not have a means of protecting themselves.

Now all she had to do was find them.

Suddenly, an explosion split the near silence of the afternoon. Smoke and fire billowed up at the western end of Takaki village, and she shielded her eyes in momentary surprise.

"Oh god..."

Whomever they were, they were already making their move. The invasion had begun. And Takaki village was virtually defenseless.

* * *

Outside the Eastern Gates of Takaki, where the Konoha relief team had first entered.

Less than ten minutes ago.

Two armed guards, armed to the teeth and quite thoroughly bored, stood at attention by the gates to the plague town. Orders were to kill anyone entering or leaving without the proper authority, with extra emphasis on those doing the latter. No exceptions. Under no circumstances were they to permit anyone to escape, or the plague would spread, and hundreds if not thousands of Fire Country citizens would be at risk. Including their families, for one of the guards was a grizzled veteran with a surviving son at the capitol, and the other had a wife and a kid on the way in the northern district of Takaki. Neither of them would shirk from their duty, such as it was. They would not fail to stop the spread of the plague.

Unfortunately, neither of them was able to deal with this new threat that arose.

As the explosion at the west gates went off, both instinctively turned towards the source of it, leaving their backs exposed to the supposedly safe pine forests of the Fire Country. However, as any Academy student could tell you, this was usually one of the very last things you would want to do if you learned a fight was going on.

Nearly two dozen shuriken whizzed through the air with deadly precision, imbedding themselves into the backs of both guards and sending them crashing to the ground, dead within seconds.

Their obstacle removed, the shinobi team that had launched them dropped to the ground and sped out of the trees and towards the gates, slipping from their hiding places and emerging into the open. It was a mix-matched group, men, women, mostly on the young side with a few veterans mixed in. Everyone was wearing earthy browns and grays, save one young woman in a viridian wrap-around. And all were armed to the teeth with kunai and shuriken and an assortment of other weapons. There were twelve total, and each one was wearing a forehead protector (thought not always on their forehead) bearing the symbol of a small, jagged rock broken by a line. They were ninja from the Village Hidden in the Rocks, from the Earth Country.

With the guards gone, they easily pushed the heavy gates open, finding a single figure blocking their path. But this was not another guard, the other two on that side of the gate were already lying dead at the mystery man's feet. This was their ally. Their man on the inside.

"You're late," he stated.

One of the shinobi, a bald, heavily scarred man with a number of scrolls lying at his waist, stepped forward. "Trouble setting up the explosives at the west gate," he replied.

"Plus I had to do my nails," remarked the viridian-clad woman standing beside him cheekily.

"Mmm, well you're here now, I suppose that's all that matters," replied the shadowy figure, as he stepped into the light. Light that broke through the shadow to reveal black hair, pale skin, dark eyes. Gone were the ceremonial, dark blue garments befitting a nobleman of the Fire Country, replaced by the dull gray bodysuit and brown flak vest more appropriate for a shinobi of their village.

Lord of Takaki Village and secret Chuunin of Hidden Rock, Tekka Shinkou.

Giving a wicked grin that seemed out of place on his handsome features, he beckoned to the three foremost shinobi. It felt good to finally be back in his element, his fake life shucked like a mask at a theatrical production.

"Jankyu, Kuroia, you three are with me. Nadare, you know your assignment. We will take care of the remaining shinobi. The rest of you, hit the marked building, eliminate the ill. How long until the other teams arrive?"

"Two hours," supplied the one called Jankyu, a sickly individual with a greenish tint to his skin.

"I want Takaki under our control in one, if not less. Wipe out all the villagers, save the looting for later. Oh, and if any of you come across a pink-haired medic-nin, I want her captured, not killed. Understood? Now go!"

Dark shinobi scattered, speeding towards their destinations.

* * *

**Author's Notes:  
**Cliche, I know, but yet another individual has broken into the Fire Country by posing as someone they're not.


	7. Surgical Strike

Sakura sprinted blindly, not entirely certain where she was going, but determined to get going as quickly as she could. If she was right, and she had reasonably good evidence she was, then Takaki was in terrible danger, and everyone in it. The invasion was beginning. She skidded to a halt as she took a wrong turn, apparently going down a dead end alleyway. She was about to leap up onto the rooftops to run more easily (as well as increase her field of vision) when she spotted a welcome flash of green, and turned her footsteps to keep up with Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast.

"Lee-san!" she shouted.

"Sakura-san!" His feet skidded to a halt as he leapt gracefully down from the rooftops into the alleyway with her. "What has happened? I heard the explosions...!"

"It's an attack. Some enemy village is trying to destroy Takaki," she replied breathlessly, tired from her run. "Lee... this plague... I think it was a pre-emptive strike. I think someone put it here deliberately to soften them up for this!"

His bushy eyebrows shot up until they almost vanished into his bowl cut. "Are you certain?"

Despite her doubts she nodded in the affirmative. "Positive," she said, assuming command of the situation. "Head to the western gate, they're going to need back-up. Where's Sai?"

"Haven't seen him, we got separated," Lee replied.

"Fine, deal with the gate, if he shows up all the better."

"What of you?" he asked, his first and foremost concern for his teammates.

"I need to get back to the infirmary. I think I have something that might be able to help. It's a long shot..."

"Go," he said firmly, having no need of further explanation. "I will not let them past me. That's a promise," Lee said, striking a 'nice guy' pose and flashing his teeth. Sakura smiled despite herself. In the mist of all the death and destruction to come, Lee would always be Lee.

It was comforting to know that some things never changed.

* * *

The two shinobi parted ways, and from then on she ran flat out as fast as she could. She had to get back to the infirmary. If this was an invasion the enemy forces weren't going to distinguish between civilian and soldier, and those in the infirmary were helpless, even moreso because they couldn't mold chakra. So she had to give them a last line of defense: herself. And while she might've been trained as a medic-nin specialist, Sakura was a shinobi first and foremost. She'd studied under the Fifth Hokage, the Legendary Healer Tsunade herself. And she would not lose.

Not with so much at stake.

Fortunately, she'd had something of an epiphany when she'd realized the nature of the disease. When she'd realized it was a shinobi plague that targeted the chakra system. Now she had some idea of how to counter it. If Neji had been around, she would've asked him to try and seal the tenketsu points to see if it slowed down the progress of the disease, just like it would have the flow of chakra. Alas, she would have to try and do the same herself, and her precision was far from perfect. Still, at least she wasn't trying to perform such a move in the midst of combat. And the lesions would help guide her fingertips. She might not be a_ Jyuuken_ user, but she knew how to manipulate a person's chakra from her training with Tsunade and Shizune.

She poured on a little more speed, pumping her legs hard. She had to get there quickly.

Naruto might not have much time left.

* * *

Inside of the infirmary, in the far back room where Uzumaki Naruto had been isolated, the blonde, orange-clad shinobi lay on his cot, breathing heavily. His body was almost blood red by now, as if he'd been in a warzone, and lesions had erupted all over his skin like great battle wounds. No one even needed to touch his forehead now to check if he had a fever, the heat from his body was evident to all present within a few feet of his body. Any attempts to cool him failed, the water-soaked cloths pressed to his forehead practically evaporated the instant they did so.

It was as if a terrible, raging fire burned just beneath the surface of his skin.

However, his breathing started to come more quickly, and he thrashed about weakly, caught in some terrible nightmare... or some even more terrible reality. Something played out behind the back of his eyelids. Some meeting of the minds.

His breathing slowed... becoming more labored... more difficult... as if some great animal perched on his chest, bearing him down, crushing him... and then his breathing came to a stop... steam rising from his open mouth as he seemed to breath his last...

Then, all at once, his eyes snapped open... and the irises were as red as his flesh. The gemstone at his breast glinted a faint cerulean... then dimmed.

* * *

Like Sakura and Lee, Sai had noticed the explosions when they'd rocked the western gates of the city. And given that he was a genius and a shrew manipulator in his own right, he instantly ascertained the situation of Takaki, albeit from a perspective with limited information. He thought someone had hoped to take advantage of the plague by staging an invasion. Regardless, he knew almost instinctively that the west gate was not where the fighting was. No one broke in and announced their presence, especially not shinobi attackers. Not unless they wanted a diversion. Which meant...

Deftly tugging a scroll from his pack and unfurling it with a practiced motion, ink danced over the parchment, staining white with black, giving shape and form to one of his more useful creations.

His artwork finished, if somewhat crude, he pocketed his quill and held up his fingers to utilize his ink jutsu. "Choujuu Giga," he intoned.

Crude artwork, black lines and white body, sprung free of the open scroll, giving a cry as it took the form of a great bird nearly twice the size of its summoner, which landed on the ground before Sai. He deftly rolled up and pocketed his now blank parchment and hopped atop of the creatures back, bidding it fly as he crouched down to maintain his balance. _Why wonder where the attack was taking place when a bird's eye view was the best way to go about it_?

Silently bidding his ink creation to climb higher, Sai got a bird's eye view of the city of Takaki, which helped reinforce in his mind just how truly small it was. Movement caught his eye, and he turned his head slightly to study it. Fleeing civilians, panicking guards... ah... invading shinobi.

"Found you," he stated quietly to no one in particular.

Another glance caught sight of some more invaders moving towards the makeshift infirmary, but he caught sight of a blur of red and pink, and knew Sakura would be there to intercept them. And a similar green blur was heading to the western gate... which was, as Sai suspected, virtually empty saving for scrambling townguards. So Lee was going to be busy for a bit. Then he spotted something at Lord Tekka's mansion.

Taking less than a minute to consider his options and weight the potential consequences, the pale boy grabbed the scruff of his ink birds neck and bid it dive down towards the town of Takaki, speeding towards his chosen opponent.

And hoping his teammates could hold their own until he got there.

* * *

Sakura arrived back at the infirmary with moments to spare, or so it seemed. No sooner had she reached the building than she came under attack from above. A flurry of shuriken rained down at her, but she gracefully skidded to a halt and leapt out of the line of fire, letting them imbed themselves in the ground instead of her flesh. Instantly a pair of kunai found their way into her hands.

Her enemy decided to reveal herself then, and dropped down from the rooftops before Sakura. She was a young woman, not much older than Sakura really, with midnight black hair drawn up into a braided ponytail and a pair of bright red eyes. Her skin was uncommonly pale, almost bone-white. A forehead protector rested around her neck, with the emblem of the Hidden Rock village glinting in the dim light, but that was the only thing that identified her as a ninja, for she wore a bright green wraparound dress that seemed more at home on a civilian. She didn't carry a single pouch or bag or even a kunai holster, though she must have hidden the shuriken in the folds of her viridian dress.

"My, you must be pink-hair. The one who almost cured our little plague..." the girl remarked with a casual air, bringing a hand to her face to smother a laugh. "Not too impressive, really."

Sakura's jade orbs narrowed. If there was one thing she hated, it was being underestimated. "I'll show you impressive," she spat, hurling the kunai her left hand and charging up the chakra in her right. She'd break the pretty brunette's jaw, see how she liked talking up a big game then.

But her opponent dodged with eerie fluidity, scarcely even shifting her stance. As Sakura charged forward, too late she caught a glimpse of something dark and sinister shifting in the corner of her vision. She threw up her arm to shield herself, but miscalculated, having expected a human opponent to come striking at her. Instead, the cool, slinky body of a snake wrapped itself around her, pinning her one arm to her side and the other above her head as it coiled around her rapidly.

The viridian clad girl gave a giggle. "Oh sorry, I didn't introduce us. My name is Kuroia. Hebi Kuroia. And this is my familiar... she likes to be called Midnight."

Caught in the iron-like grip of the dark snake, Sakura could do little to reply... or breathe, she found. The constrictor was crushing her, and more than likely would break one of her ribs if she allowed this to go on for much longer.

Now she remembered. Clan Hebi. During the war, they'd been called snake-users. Maybe they fought with serpents the same way the Inuzuka clan fought alongside canines.

Sucking in her breath, she barely managed to wriggle her other arm free, and snapped them together quickly to form seals. Outraged, Kuroia hissed to her familiar. "Kill her!" Midnight obliged, rearing back and bearing its heavy fangs, then shooting forward to sink them into Sakura's soft, yielding shoulder...

... a soft, yielding shoulder which turned into hard, distinctly untasty wood as a puff of smoke enveloped Sakura. When it cleared, Midnight was coiled around a tree log, its teeth latched onto the head, unable to draw them back. Nearby, Kuroia hissed in displeasure.

"_Kawamiri no Jutsu_," she growled, ruby eyes glancing left and right to locate her foe again. Pink-hair couldn't have gone very far, she realized. The Jutsu had a limited range after all.

But Haruno Sakura was not running. Now it was her turn to take things on the offensive.

Three kunai were flung through the air, barely enough to do more than distract Kuroia as she deftly sidestepped them. However, unlike before, these kunai had exploding tags attached to the handles. They blew up in a most spectacular fashion, sending rock fragments and one Rock ninja flying through the air, where she crashed through a window and into another building, long deserted by its owners. She'd be back soon, but now Sakura had some time to better assess the situation. She landed back in the street, awaiting Kuroia's return.

Moments later, the green-clad brunette stumbled out of the building she'd been flung into, the tips of her hair still smoking from the explosion. She didn't look happy. In fact, she looked downright murderous. Sakura regarded her as she would the wind on her face. As an annoyance and little else. If anything, it only made her madder.

Sakura took up a defensive stance, ready for Kuroia's next attack, but in her haste, she had all but forgotten about the snake again.

That is, until two fangs almost as long as her middle finger dug into her hip.

She let loose a wicked scream, wrenched from her heart, as she instinctively clutched at the wound, blood already pouring down her legs, staining her skirt crimson.

Kuroia just smirked. Midnight had come through for her in the end. She watched almost gleefully as her serpent swung out its tail and knocked Pink-hair clean off her feet, letting her come crashing down on her tuckus. She wouldn't be getting up anytime soon. Midnight's venom was very potent. She'd be lucky if she lasted more than ten minutes... but Kuroia didn't want to even give her that long.

"Heh, gotcha now," she cooed, reaching up with one hand to brush back her sable ponytail... and to tug a kunai from a hidden pocket on the back of her dress. Idly she began to twirl it on her finger as she approached closer.

"Now... you're gonna die!" she raised the knife up high. Sakura covered her head, a feeble attempt to ward off the blow. She could already feel the poison in her system slowing her limbs, killing her. This attack was just going to speed things along. And give the Hebi a chance to enjoy a kill with her own two hands.

A shuriken spun through the air, and hit the Rock kunoichi right in the back of her hand. She gave a most undignified screech and dropped her weapon, clutching at her injured limb. Sakura glanced up in surprise, wondering who on earth could've come to save her.

"Lee? Sai?"

"C, none of the above," came an unexpected voice.

As Sakura's vision cleared, she spotted her savior emerging from the shadows of a nearby building. Light that broke through the shadow to reveal black hair, pale skin, dark eyes. Gone were the ceremonial, dark blue garments befitting a nobleman, replaced by the dull gray bodysuit and brown flak vest more appropriate for a shinobi.

Lord Tekka had saved her. Sakura was overjoyed.

"Lord Tekka!" she cried out.

He smiled gently, a smile she knew so well. "Sakura-chan. Glad to see you're alright," he said... but then his smile turned to a frown as he glanced over at the Rock kunoichi.

Now he was going to tear her apart, she realized, with more than a little girlish glee. He was going to pound Hebi Kuroia into dust and hang her using her own snake. He was going to...!

And then her jade orbs came to rest on his forehead protector. And she saw the symbol. A jagged, broken rock.

"I thought I told you the pink-haired girl was mine... was I not making myself perfectly clear?" asked Tekka, as he strolled over to Kuroia and his hand lashed out, backhanding her hard, sending her crashing to the ground, still clutching her injured hand. "You insufferable bitch! Why can you never do what's commanded of you!"

"L-lord Tekka? How... how could... no... its not possible..." Sakura's mind tried valiantly to resist, but like before, all the pieces had been there before her, and now they were fitted together. The image there was irrefutable. The conclusion inescapable.

He smirked, the expression so alien on his twisted face that, coupled with his new garments, he looked like a totally difference person. Even his speech was different. "The real lord Tekka never came to Takaki," he explained. "The Damiyo's nephew was ambushed and replaced long before then... by me. With the proper papers, anyone could've strolled in and claimed to be a noble. All I had to do was fake sick if 'uncle dearest' happened to come by for a visit. That or maybe a_ Henge no Jutsu_. I was told back at the Academy I was quite good at deception... what do you think... Sakura-chan?" he asked with a leer.

Stunned acceptance gave way to anger, and she grimly lifted her head up to meet his gaze, even as her hand strayed down to the pouch at her side. She only had a few minutes to act. "You... bastard..." she said, infusing the word with hatred. "Everything you told me was a lie."

He chuckled, his normally happy laugh twisted into something evil. "Nothing so mundane. Anyone can lie, after all. I told you nothing but the truth. I said my brother was a shinobi... he was. I said he was killed on a mission, that was true too... killed by_ Leaf_ shinobi. I said wasn't cut out for normal shinobi work... I'm not. I'm an espionage specialist. I said I thought you were pretty... and you most certainly are," he added with another wicked leer. "And you even agreed when I called your comrades an idiot, a freak, and an anemic. I wonder if they're not dead already?"

"They're a lot stronger than you think," replied Sakura darkly, finding the vial she was looking for and drawing it out, quickly injecting herself with the anti-venom. The poison was deep in her system, she felt so incredibly weak, and her vision was swimming. But she'd live. The question is if she'd want to. She knew that look Tekka was giving her. She'd heard the stories of captured kunoichi. Not a chance this side of Hell. She'd slit her own wrists first before she became his toy.

"Now whose lying?" he asked idly, glancing over his shoulder. As he did, another shinobi slunk into view, this one a sickly individual with a greenish tint to his skin, dressed in prominent browns that did nothing to compliment his pallor.

"Jankyu... glad you could join us. I guess with Kuroia out of commission you'll have to slaughter the infirmary. Do so now."

"You bastard!" spat Sakura.

He frowned, all the mirth departing his expression, even the dark humor his last few statements had been. "I did what was necessary for any mission, like any shinobi would have," he stated darkly. "I'd kill you for the mission, if I had to... but thankfully that won't be necessary. But believe me when I said I'd do it and without so much as a backward glance, my beloved Sa-ku-ra..." he stated, drawing out her name slowly, as if addressing a child.

And that, she realized with dim horror, was just like how Sasuke-kun sounded when he talked about avenging his Clan.

Then, turning back to his sickly henchman, he inclined his head. Jankyu slipped forward towards the infirmary and inside without any resistance. Helpless to stop him, she could only watch in terror as Tekka began to advance on her. She couldn't save them... and she couldn't save herself either.

She'd failed.

* * *

**Author's Notes:  
**Since Hidden Rock has been virtually missing from Naruto, I've had to be creative in making the members of this team.


	8. Life and Death

Tekka, fully expecting to have nothing more troublesome to deal with than one weakened, helpless little kunoichi, was caught totally unprepared as a loud voice rang out across the plaza.

"_Dynamic Entry_!"

He was slightly more prepared in throwing up his arms, crossing them in front of his face, and only barely managing to block the incoming kick that nearly took his head off. As it was, he skidded back across the street nearly six full yards before coming to a stop, while his assailant leapt back from his failed attack and landed before his pink-haired angel. Tekka frowned darkly at his new opponent.

Stand before Sakura protectively, hand upraised in a 'come on' gesture, was Rock Lee of Konoha.

"Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast, Rock Lee," he stated unnecessarily, announcing his presence to Tekka. He glanced over his shoulder at Sakura, though just barely, keeping his guard up the whole while. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Grimly, she tried to push herself to her feet... and almost collapsed, her vision swimming again a moment before it cleared. "Not really," she replied after a moment. "How did you know to come back?"

He managed a tight smile, even as he turned back to his opponent. "I have told you before, Sakura-san. Whenever you are in danger, I will appear. I will protect you with my life."

Rock Lee did not add he'd run full-tilt towards the western gate and, with his superior speed, found it had already been destroyed. Correctly surmising that the enemy had already broken into town, he had guessed they would move to take out the infirmary first, making his Sakura a target. And so he'd run as fast as he could right back, and only barely arrived in the nick of time, or so it seemed.

His eyes locked onto the enemy leader, and his bushy eyebrows drew close in anger above his eyes. "Lord Tekka... what is the meaning of this... betrayal?"

Tekka smirked dangerously. "War, of course... Hidden Rock has been wanting revenge on Hidden Leaf for decades now, ever since their last conflict. But as you're no doubt well aware, neither Rock nor Leaf is actually capable of carrying out another conventional war, not with our resources stretched as thin as they are. So we've had to be creative."

"So you are the one," stated Lee. "You slipped this plague into Takaki."

"I did indeed. During the last war we tried something similar, but it failed. We've not been idle the last decade... we've finally managed to make Shinkou Soeki's work into something truly lethal. And I, his grandson, distributed it. In a few minutes, everyone in that building is going to be dead, whether by the plague or my man... and the only obstacle left is you," drolled Tekka. "One useless little taijutsu specialist. Oh yes, didn't I mention? Sakura-chan told me_ everything_."

Rock Lee's frown deepened, but he remained calm, though it burned him inside to hear his beloved Sakura spoken of so poorly. Used so poorly. The Springtime of Youth demanded justice. But he had a mission to consider as well, and many people counting on him, not just Sakura. However, the fact that he had many people to protect meant that he was able to fulfill his promise to Gai-sensei, and take away one of his regular restrictions while he fought this traitor.

With slow, deliberate motions, he reached down into his legwarmers and unlatched his weights, lifting them up.

"Weights?" asked a puzzled Tekka. Sakura had mentioned those, but he was a bit surprise the boy had brought them along on a mission, effectively crippling his effectiveness. "Do you honestly expect such a cheap trick to help y-...?"

Lee dropped the weights, and they hit the ground like a pair of tiny boulders, leaving a noticeable dent in the ground. The impact was such that Tekka had to take a step back to retain his stance, his eyes widening faintly. This wasn't how Sakura had described him. She said he hadn't been anything special. A competent taijutsu specialist but little else. Brave, competent, but with no jutsus of any form or any kind of bloodline limit. Had she misjudged him?

Or had he simply asked the wrong questions?

No matter, he decided. He'd deal with this upstart boy easily enough. He knew his own abilities well enough that he wouldn't lose.

Lee held up a hand, beckoning on his opponent.

* * *

Sai's dive-bomb had his ink bird swooping down almost to the point it knocked the bald Rock shinobi off his feet, as he gracefully flipped back off of the bird as it began its upward arc, landing in a crouch before his enemy. The rock ninja was a heavyset man, balding and flat-featured, heavily scarred individual with a number of scrolls around his waist. He didn't look too threatening, but Sai was himself an example of deceptive appearances.

Baldy growled, tugging loose one of his scrolls. "This is as far as you go, pretty boy," he snarled, tugging the scroll open and unsealing its contents. A heavy chain shot forth, and he grabbed the end, swinging it around as the final component became visible, a heavy spiked ball. Sai ducked under the first swing, then back flipped out of range of a second one, narrowly avoiding it. His opponent certainly was very fast.

"Can't keep dodging forever boy!" shouted Chain-Club, or so Sai began to label him in his mind. His next attack cut through a nearby building, smashing it to rubble, but it worked to Sai's advantage as he slipped out of sight into the growing clouds of smoke and dust. Chain-Club growled, taking another swing, but to his shock felt it connect with something solid, and hold.

When the smoke cleared, Sai stood there, a faint smirk on his pale features. One of his ink drawings was holding down the chain in the form of a large peg, pinning it to the ground, with his foot atop of it for added weight.

"No!"

A smirk graced his pale features. "I'm afraid so," Sai replied, tugging a set of shuriken from his pack and holding them at the ready.

"Nadare will not be defeated by the likes of you, boy!" spat his scarred opponent, dropping his current chain and readying another scroll. Sai let his shuriken fly, immediately backing them up with half a dozen more he'd palmed in his other hand behind his back. But his opponent, Nadare, he'd identified himself as, was more than amply prepared, and dodged aside, throwing out another chain he'd summoned from his scrolls. This one dug into a nearby building wall, and with it he caught himself and swung forward, aiming a fist for Sai's face. Sai barely rolled out of the way, landing in a crouch.

"Time to meet your maker boy," spat Nadare as he tugged back his chain and unfurled his scrolls. Two flowed around in a weird arc as he began to snap his hands together to form seals, and Sai braced himself. Whatever was coming was big.

"_Kyuukyoku Kusari no Jutsu_!"

No less than half a dozen chains popped into being with the signature exploding smoke, arcing around Nadare in complicated patterns, seemingly floating in mid-air around his body. And these chains were accompanied by wicked barbs on each link. Sai had no doubt if they connected they'd tear to shreds any flesh that got in their way. He quickly snapped his hands together to form his own seals, ink slapping across the white parchment of his own unfurled scroll.

"Any last words?" Nadare spat as he swung one of his chains up and around, the ends tipped with vicious scythes.

Sai only smiled. "Are all Rock shinobi as dumb as you... Scar-san?" he asked politely.

Roaring in rage, Nadare struck, his chains coiling around Sai and tightening, the barbed tips digging in tightly to his flesh, drawing blood... blood which turned from red to black, splattering on the ground as ink. And then the whole form of Sai dissolved into the same substance, spraying black ink all over the ground.

"Any last words?" came a soft voice from behind Nadare. Startled, the Rock ninja turned, trying to bring his chains to bear, but they were already extended too far, and all his movement helped to do was given Sai the leverage to pin his arm behind his back and give a vicious twist to keep it there. Before Nadare could react Sai had grappled his own chains and tied him down.

"I suggest you start talking," said Sai politely, boot in the ninjas back to pin him down. "Where are your comrades? How big is the invasion force?"

"Go to Hell you ill-begotten spawn of-... arrrgh!" Sai gave a sharp twist before Nadare's unruly comment came to light.

"Now now, Scar-san, that isn't very polite, so we'll try again. Where are your comrades? I may not ask nicely again," he remarked, his voice remaining light, his smile in place. But he'd palmed a kunai and had every intention of using it in his next round of questioning, if such was necessary. And as a Root ANBU, he knew exactly where to dig it in to cause the most pain, and yet leave the victim functional and coherent.

To his surprise, 'Scar' started laughing. "I'm just a diversion, you know. To fool stupid Leaf ninja. By now my comrades will have slaughtered everyone in the entire city."

Sai decided not to take that at face value. "I see," he remarked quietly. Then, with a sudden speed, his fast lashed out, knocking Nadare unconscious. Sai and the others could interrogate him later at their leisure, but right now he was needed. Now that the inhabitants of the manor were safe, Sai sped along the rooftops towards the battle at the infirmary. Hopefully he'd be in time to be of some use.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside of the makeshift infirmary, the sickly shinobi known as Jankyu, began his search. His superior, Tekka, had been unable to believe his luck when he'd learned that the legendary Uzumaki had been part of the team sent to aid the town of Takaki. This was a chance for revenge against Hidden Leaf, in a lot more ways than one. The rest of the rooms inhabitants could be dealt with later, nearly a quarter of them were already dead anyway, but Uzumaki was a prize unto himself.

Finally, Jankyu located the side room where Naruto had been isolated, identifying immediately the blonde spikes protruding from the top of the blanket covers. Taking a moment to make sure his black gloves were firmly in place, he reached down to tug back the covers...

... when suddenly the covers were flung back on their own accord, and a fist came flying at Jankyu's nose!

The Rock shinobi leapt backwards, managing to avoid the blow, but only just barely, as he hit his back against the far wall. That had been entirely too close for comfort. Not just the punch, which might've hurt, but skin-to-skin contact with someone sick from the plague? A virtual death sentence? No thank you. Even as he watched Uzumaki start to rise, he tugged up the facial mask he'd brought down earlier, covering his face from the nose down.

"**You**..." growled Naruto, and Jankyu blinked in surprise. Something was wrong here. Something was very, very wrong here. Uzumaki should've been so weak he couldn't stand, his whole body was crimson, yet he didn't look as if that impeded him in the slightest. And when he spoke... there was an echo in that voice. A primal growl that sent shivers down his spine.

Jankyu quickly palmed a pair of kunai. "J-just stay back, you brat. You're worth more to us alive than dead, but don't think I won't kill you here and now! Maybe bring your head back-...!"

"**Better shinobi than you have tried to kill me**," came that voice again. But anyone who knew Uzumaki Naruto would've recognized that he wasn't the one speaking. Someone... something... was speaking -_through_- him, using his vocal cords and mouth to communicate.

Growling, Jankyu hurled himself forward and jammed his kunai into either side of Uzumaki's shoulders, hoping to pin him against the wall without seriously injurying him. "You little brat, I'll...!"

Poof.

A cloud of smoke was all that greeted him. Uzumaki had pulled a Shadow Clone on him.

Angered and frustrated, and even a little fearful that the blonde brat had pulled the wool over his eyes, Jankyu kicked open the door and stormed back into the infirmary. Where could he have gone? Had he switched places with one of the patients? Had...?

Wait a minute.

Taking a closer look at the infirmary, Jankyu noticed something far different from when he'd first passed through. Earlier, there had been people in there. Children, adults, old folks, men and women. In various states of unconsciousness and delirium, and few who could muster the strength or voice to call out a warning when he went storming through. And half the beds had been empty. Now...

Now every single bed had an occupant, lying under the sheets. And on the pillow of each cot, some blonde spikes were visible. On every single one. Jankyu's eyes widened in outright horror, as each and every single patient in the makeshift infirmary grabbed up their bedsheets and hurled them aside, then stood with eerie synchronization. As if they shared a single mind.

Each one had the same blonde spikes and crimson flesh as Naruto, the same ugly orange jumpsuit. Each one of them_ was_ Naruto.

And each one had the same crimson eyes and wicked whiskers on their cheeks. Crimson auras burned around each one of the shadow clones, demon cloaks that cast eerie shadows over the infirmary... now empty save for one fool of a rock shinobi and a small horde of monsters... who were slowly advancing on the former... cutting off all exits.

No one outside could hear when Jankyu started to scream. The walls were too thick.

* * *

In front of the infirmary, in the plaza, Rock Lee stood opposite Shinkou Tekka. Neither spoke, neither moved, both seemed to be waiting for some sort of external signal to commence their fight. A leaf, blown free from a nearby tree, drifted between their field of vision, and came to lightly settle onto the ground. As if it was a cue, they began.

Tekka opened up little shinobi duel with the first attack, drawing the wakizashi blade on his back speeding forward with a quick upward slash, preparing to cut the impudent Leafling in half. Gone was any sense of Tekka's false clumsiness or hesitation, now he was all speed and agility. But Rock Lee countered with a most impressive burst of speed of his own.

"Konoha Shoufuu!"

Bushy-brows' leg snapped up with the force of a battering ram, slamming into Tekka's wrist and coming dangerously close to cracking it due to the sheer force behind it. However, Tekka managed to draw his arm back in time, though he could not save his weapon. It went clattering to the ground nearby. Rock Lee wasted no time in ducking inside of his opponents guard, preparing to launch a vicious one-two punch to Tekka's unprotected stomach and chest.

However, Tekka's body puffed out of existence as the blows hit, replaced by a heavy rock which smashed into the ground in his place. _Kawamiri no jutsu_, the same move Sakura had performed just a short while ago.

"You're not bad... for a bushy-eyebrowed idiot," stated Tekka with a smirk as he re-appeared further down the plaza. "But tell me, can you fight a real ninja?"

Rock Lee bit back an angry retort. Gai-sensei had repeatedly told him that childish insults were a cheap and ineffective means of fighting, the tools of cowards and arrogant braggarts.

Sakura, however, had no such inhibitions holding her back.

"If we see one around we'll let you know!" she hollered back at the false lord. Lee smirked. Trust his beloved angel to come up with such a very witty reply.

Tekka growled at the insult, and leapt up and forward, snapping his hands together to form a seal as he landed before them. "_Sekijun no jutsu_," he intoned. At first, nothing happened, and Lee wondered if it was a jutsu misfire (an all but unheard of occurance in the shinobi world) when the ground started to rumble. He barely managed to leap out of the way as several sharp spikes of rock erupted out of the ground, right where he'd just been standing. He deftly flipped end-over-end, landing beside Sakura as he regarded the new power of his enemy.

Tekka grinned evilly. "Unlike your freak of nature boyfriend," he stated, his words for Sakura only. "I come from a long line of prestigious ninja, with my very own bloodline limit. I am Shinkou Tekka, Stalagmite Specialist."

Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast did not back down, and he did not cower against superior opponents. If Tekka had been hoping to frighten him, he was sadly mistaken. Lee took off like a shot, grateful for having removed his weights, for he needed every ounce of speed available as Tekka's hands snapped into seals and he unleashed more of his stalagmite attacks. The very ground soon became hostile to Lee, and more than once he had to retreat from a charge he was making on the Rock ninja in order to keep his footing.

"Even the strongest shinobi in the world needs to keep his feet on the ground," stated Tekka knowingly, unleashing another stalagmite attack that nearly caught Lee in an awkward position before he twisted, pushed-off, and landed safely. "And you, with no ninjutsu... how do you hope to defeat me?"

Lee was panting hard now, it was taking most of what he had just to keep up with Tekka's attacks. "The same way I defeat every opponent," he replied evenly. "By never giving in, by never giving up, and keep fighting until I win!"

Rock Lee shot forward, mentally reaching within himself, and unlocked the First Gate for an extra ounce of speed.

"Gotta hit the ground sooner or later," remarked Tekka, forming the seals for another attack. "And the ground I control."

A smirk graced Lee's face as he prepared his next maneuver. "Then perhaps we should separate you from it!" Lee said, charging forward... and vanishing in a blur.

"WHAT?!"

Tekka barely had time to spit out that word before a foot slammed into his jaw from the underside, sending him flying up into the air, separating him from the earth which was the source of his power. He winced, that had been painful, damnit, but it wasn't enough...

"I'm not through with you yet," stated Lee, behind him, and a flurry of bandages began to twine around his body. Tekka barely had time to register both facts before he found himself immobile, and he was suddenly grabbed from behind. Lee was taking him down with their added weight, on a collision course towards the ground. And with his arms restrained, he was completely vulnerable!

Or so it appeared.

In reality, Tekka was far from helpless, and he was still a master of deception, even in the midst of a battle. Thrusting out his arms, he let a number of serrated blades hidden in his gauntlets fly free, tearing apart Lee's bandages and very nearly his arms as well, before Lee flung him away. Tekka landed with a stumble, but at least he landed on his own two feet instead of on his head, as the Lotus would've done to him. Lee landed a short distance away, breathing heavily. The technique drained him, though considerably less than it had when he'd been a kid. But he didn't dare risk this fight going on much longer. He had to end things soon.

Tekka flexed his arms, allowing the serrated blades to return to his gauntlets sides, all but invisible again. "Not bad at all, Leafling. You almost hurt me that time."

Lee felt his blood boil, growing more irritated by the moment. Tekka wasn't even taking him seriously as a threat. He was being dismissed. Again. He crossed his arms in front of him, reaching deep within himself... calling on power deep within. A power that, he hoped, would enable him to finally fight as Tekka's equal, if not superior. To make the traitor take him seriously... before he was defeated.

"Fourth Gate... Open!"

A burst of energy stunned the false lord, nearly blowing him off his feet, frowning darkly as the power continued to build... building around this wiry boy of a shinobi, this bushy-eyebrowed idiot. What sort of power was he hiding?

"And the Fifth Gate... Open!"

Power was beginning to visible coalesce around Rock Lee's form now, a greenish glow which surrounded his form. And his skin took on a dark reddish hue as the raw energy flowed from every pore in his skin. Now with the gates open, his speed and strength hit a whole new level, and Lee surged forward like a bolt of lightning. Tekka hastily slapped together some seals.

"_Doro Gaeshi_!" he cried, slapping the ground and letting a wall of solid rock spring up between them.

But Lee smashed clear through the barrier as if it wasn't there, then rained his fists of righteous fury down on Tekka, smashing into him seemingly from every angle at once. A leg smashed into his gut. A fist pummeled the side of his head. An elbow dug into his gut. Sakura could barely follow the fight as anything more than blurs of gray, tan, and green. And Tekka was absolutely stunned. He had no idea anyone could be so fast. Or so powerful. Finally, Lee gave him a vicious uppercut that sent Tekka flying, to come crashing down violently at the far end of the plaza. Lee landed on his feet gracefully, wincing as he felt the impact of all his attacks start to catch up to his body. He was going to need some serious downtime after this...

... but to his shock, he saw it wasn't over yet. Tekka valiantly pushed himself up to a crouch, breathing heavily, but conscious and able to keep fighting.

"Do you surrender?" asked Lee, giving his opponent the option to quit before he got killed.

But to his surprise (well okay, very little surprise) Tekka only laughed. "No way... in hell... I am losing... to... you!" he spat out the last word at Lee, bringing his hands up again. A new seal sequence began, one much longer and more complicated than before, and Rock Lee tensed, ready for whatever was coming. Tekka finally slapped his hands together for the final seal, and glared at Lee... then his glare shifted...

... to Sakura.

Eyes widening in realization, Rock Lee took off almost an instant before Tekka slammed his palms into the ground. "_Sugoi Sekijun no jutsu_."

Time seemed to slow to a crawl, as the ground rumbled. Rock Lee pushed himself forward, but it seemed as if the distance between himself and his beloved Sakura was widening, not shrinking. Tekka's attack was going to take place in an instant, and still weak from the poison in her system, Sakura would not be able to escape in time. And he simply wasn't fast enough to get there in time. Not as he was now.

_Forgive me, Gai-sensei_, he thought. _I know I promised. I said I would never, ever, go past the fifth gate. But what good is a promise if I can't protect someone I care for?_

"Sixth Gate... Open!"

The influx of speed was unreal, Lee moved so fast he almost wasn't there anymore. It couldn't even be properly said he ran. One moment he was there, the next he was gone. Then Sakura was gone, instants before the spikes burst out of the ground to impale her. Lee re-appeared seconds later with Sakura in his arms, safe from the attack, as Lee dropped out of his attack and let the gates close, breathing heavily from his exertions.

"Lee," said Sakura, placing a hand to his chest. He was trembling. He'd really overdone it. She could hear his heart racing, his breath coming too quickly. If he didn't stop and rest he'd likely pass out. And he still looked ready to keep on fighting.

In that moment, she realized Lee would always be Lee. And she would never have him any other way.

* * *

**Author's Notes:  
**

A number of made up techniques obviously, but well within the standards of the Naruto-verse. Tekka's techniques are variations of 'stalagmite' (since a stalactite hangs -down- in a cave) while Nadare's are all chain summoning. Nothing too special for either of them, but I hope they made for suitable opponents.


	9. Cure

On the other side of the plaza, Tekka looked mad enough to chew iron and spit out kunai. His ultimate attack had failed. How? How had the boy gotten so fast?

Tekka started to stand, but stumbled. His own chakra reserves were spent, he barely had the energy to stand. No matter. He'd end this fight here and now.

"I'm not yet defeated!" he announced, palming three shuriken in one hand... and letting his other drift behind his back as he made his way forward.

Lee stood. On shaky legs, but he stood. "I will not permit this to continue," he stated quietly.

"Then die, you freak...!"

"_Konoha Shoufuu_!"

Tekka hurled his shuriken with his off hand, and Lee countered with his whirlwind kick, knocking them harmlessly aside. However, this momentary lapse in focus on his enemy was all Tekka needed to throw the contents of his_ other_ hand at Lee. Now that he was much closer, Le had no way to dodge or counter as a small glass vial came hurtling towards him. It shattered on impact, since it was designed to do so, and instantly the green-clad boy was splattered with a filthy crimson liquid. He staggered, landing awkwardly as Tekka stepped back.

"Aaagh...!"

Tekka just laughed, even as Lee doubled over in pain. "Imbecile boy," he sneered. "Do you really think I'd be so easy to defeat? That's was a concentrated form of the Crimson Plague in that vial. You'll be lucky if you last an hour." Circling his wounded opponent like a shark eyeing a tasty morsel, Tekka continued to torment Lee with his words. "So let's see," he said, counting on his fingers. "You failed to defeat me. You failed to protect this village. You even failed to protect your little girlfriend." Without a word Tekka slammed his foot down hard on Lee's leg, and the resounding crack left little doubt that he'd broken a bone from his vicious attack. Lee cried out in pain.

"Oh don't worry," he continued, speaking as much to himself as to Rock Lee, who was writhing in double agony on the ground. Already red lesions were breaking out along his skin. "I'll take good care of her. Show her what a real man is capable of. As for you, you insufferable loser, you can just-..."

Tap. Tap.

Tekka frowned. Someone was tapping his shoulder.

Confused, thinking perhaps it was Kuroia, Tekka turned back around...

... just in time to see a small but powerful fist coming right towards his face.

"You... BASTARD!!"

Though a woman with very delicate, soft hands, Sakura's fist struck with the force of a meteor, shattering Tekka's nose and cracking his jaw, rendering his face nothing less than a bloody mess. Her follow through sent him flying through the air as if he'd been hurled from a catapult, and he went soaring off into the distance. He'd likely come crashing down on the edge of the Fire Country/Earth Country border. And he'd be missing at least half of his teeth. If he was lucky.

"SHANNARO!"

* * *

Her fist still aching from that punch to Tekka's face, Sakura none-the-less managed to ignore her pain and turn to more immediate concerns. That being Rock Lee, who lay on the ground, his skin already starting to break out into crimson lesions.

"Sa-sakura-san," he croaked out weakly, reaching up with a hand.

Heedless of the danger, she took his bare hand in hers, squeezing it, knowing full well she was risking infection herself. "Lee, no... hold on... I'll find a cure... I swear I'll find a cure... you are not dying on me, damnit!" She blinked away the tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"Sakura!"

"SAI!" she all but screamed, bringing the pale boy over to her side in an instant. "We have to get him inside, now! He's been infected. Tekka was...!"

The story poured out of her lips as Sai and Sakura tried to transported the now-delirious Lee into the infirmary, but didn't get far before he started thrashing in pain, and his leg wound did not make things much easier. Not wishing to do further damage, they lay him down outside, under the shade of the overhang, so Sakura could do her best to try and treat him. She barked orders for Sai to grab some medical equipment from inside, and then tried her best to seal Lee's tenketsu. Alas, his thrashings made it impossible to aim properly, and her tears blinded her.

"Sa-sakura..."

"Save it," she spat out angrily, all but grabbing one of the vials Sai had placed in her hand and angrily tipping the concoction down Lee's throat. It would slow the virus down but it wouldn't stop it. At least, she hoped it would. It had worked well against the regular plague, but how would this undiluted version fare?

Lee's hand gently reached up again, trembling, his fingertips coming to rest on Sakura's shoulder.

"If... if I have to die..." he coughed weakly. "I..."

"Don't say that!" she swore angrily.

"I... have..." Cough. "... have to tell you..." he stated, his eyes unnaturally clear and lucid. "Sakura..."

Choking back a sob, she nodded, almost wishing she had long pink locks again, if only to hide her face. But she couldn't deny Rock Lee this. Not after all he'd done for her. All he'd risked for her. He'd defended her life on countless occasions, and she's always rewarded his services by running off after her precious 'Sasuke-kun,' leaving him behind. By all rights he should've given up on her ages ago, found someone who could return his feelings, like TenTen... but he didn't. He stayed.

Like Naruto, Rock Lee never backed down from anything he'd set his sights on. Even love. Especially love.

Sai, sensing somehow this was a private moment, slipped back into the infirmary to try and find some more of the supplies Sakura had wanted him to locate. Giving them what could be their final moment together. And then there was that other matter to look into...

"Sakura, I... I just want you to know... that I... that I..."

And she held his hand, and listened.

* * *

When Sai had returned to the infirmary, he could tell something was out of place instantly. Once inside, he was surprised to find it empty. But not filled with corpses, as he'd half-expected. Completely empty. Someone had gotten all of the sick out in time to save them from the Rock attack. And it did not take Sai long to conjure up an idea of exactly who had been able to move so many people in such a short amount of time.

Conjuring one of his ink snakes, he'd sent it to track Uzumaki's scent as he grabbed the equipment Sakura had needed. When he'd sensed a private moment outside, he'd given them their space (as much for his sake as theirs, since he had no idea how to react to such a very emotional scene) and turned back in time for his ink snake to return, bidding him follow with a tilt of its head.

Sai sped along the ground now, and sprang up and over the spiked walls of the Takaki village, speeding southward. Indeed, had he known it, he was heading right back to the grove where Naruto had been discovered by Lee. And it was there, still wrapped in their blankets, he found all of the infected, as well as one uninfected, highly confused, blonde shinobi.

"Sai! Sai over here!" called out Naruto, waving his arm. "I don't know what happened, I fell asleep yesterday and woke up here and... and what happened? Why is everyone whose sick outside of Takaki? Isn't this dangerous?" he asked.

Typical Naruto, Sai noted, a faint smile on his face (which only confused Naruto more). He'd saved the day, and hadn't even a clue how he'd done it.

* * *

Blink.

"I... feel... fine...?"

Sakura's eyes opened wide in confusion, and she reached up a hand, rubbing away her tears with the back of her palm. "What?"

"... I..." Cough. "I feel fine?"

Rock Lee's skin had been all but soaked by an accelerated, undiluted form of the crimson plague. His whole body had broken out into red lesions in mere minutes after being infected. But now, as Sakura watched, unable to believe her eyes, his skin was quickly regaining its healthy, regular color. The lesions were receding almost as rapidly as they had appeared. Rock Lee's coughs had started to fade, and he could breath more easily again. In moments, they were gone as well. Sakura lightly slapped a hand to Lee's forehead as he sat up, checking his temperature. He was a little flushed, but nothing that a good night's sleep wouldn't cure.

Jade eyes met midnight orbs, as they stared at one another in equal amounts shock and amazement.

"But... how?"

And that was about all he could manage to get out before he suddenly found himself engulfed in the arms of Sakura, who was weeping uncontrollably now, tears literally pouring down her cheeks as she clung to Lee like a lifeline. And considering her strength, she came dangerously close to putting him back into critical condition. And Lee just held her, doing his best to comfort her and assure her that yes, he was going to be alright.

After a few moments, Sakura finally managed to snap herself out of it, dried her tears, and put on her professional face, bringing her hands together and forming a seal, then tapping two fingers to Lee's forehead. "Chakra probing may provide an answer," she explained, her fingertips growing green.

Lee, puzzled, tried to follow her hand, almost crossing his eyes to see it on his own forehead. "Perhaps it was a fake?" he theorized aloud. "To scare us?"

She shook her head. "Tekka wouldn't be that stupid..." she started to reply, then got cut off with a soft gasp. Slowly, she removed her hand from his forehead.

"What? What is it?"

"It's... it's you..." she stated, which only puzzled Lee even more. "Oh Kami-sama, Tekka_ is_ that stupid!"

"Huh?"

Once again Lee was hauled up and into Sakura's embrace, who hugged her fuzzy-browed hero shamelessly. "This is it!" she cried. "This is the answer we've been looking for! It's the cure, Lee!"

Only vaguely accustomed to being shaken about by a screaming female teammate (working alongside Tenten tended to do that to anyone) Rock Lee shook his head and took a moment to gather his thoughts, unable to comprehend what his pink-haired angel was talking about. Dimly, he repeated "huh?"

"It's the cure! It's_ you_!"

* * *

Rock Lee was unique in the shinobi world, having been born without the ability to properly mold chakra with handseals. Even with the most intense of training, the most powerful drive to succeed, he simply could never master ninjutsu or genjutsu. No matter how often he practiced, no effect would come when he made the necessary handseals. Nor did it seem likely such would_ ever_ occur, though he had long since given up trying to focus on his new path. None of his teachers at the Academy could explain it, nor could his family.

When Tsunade had become the Fifth Hokage, she'd had a lot of work ahead of her, but due to the promptings of Gai and Sakura, she'd taken a pointed interest in the progress of Rock Lee, particularly after she managed to heal him from his post-Gaara duel wounds. Sometime shortly afterwards, she'd conducted a small study of her own on his blood samples. She might not have been a brilliant gene splicer and chakra manipulater like her fellow Sannin Orochimaru, but her understanding of the human body was near unparalleled in the shinobi world.

She'd discovered, what she confided to Sakura, something amazing.

"It was a_ reverse_ bloodline limit," Sakura stated, midway through her story as she spoke to Lee. Sai and Naruto were bringing back the patients now as she prepared the cure for them. She couldn't be terribly gently as she pushed a needle into Lee's arm to extract his blood, time was off the essence, but he was tough, and she was a delicate as she could be given her haste.

"Most bloodline limits you're familiar with," she stated, shaking the vial with the precious crimson fluid inside. Lee's blood. "Like the Byakuyan or the... well you know. But they usually imbue shinobi with jutsu that only they can master. And you were born this way, unable to mold chakra. It's inherent right down to your DNA," she stated, tapping her fingers to the vial. An emerald glow engulfed her fingers as she performed a healing jutsu.

"But that's exactly why you're immune to the disease," she stated with a smile.

Lee caught on quickly. "Because of my blood?"

"Exactly," she murmured, giving the vial a shake to swirl its contents, which were now a diluted purple in color. "The disease... the crimson plague... was made by ninja. Made to attack ninja. Our chakra systems. But your unique bloodline makes you immune to it, because you cannot mold chakra. Not like normal ninja do, at least," she added, fitting the vial into an injector.

"So I am immune... and you hope to find what is in my blood to make me immune... and make more for everyone?" asked Lee.

"Oh, not hope to..." she replied with a wink. "Have!" she declared, holding up the injector triumphantly.

* * *

Unfortunately, given limited resources (read, one green spandex-clad boy) it took Sakura nearly a full day to completely synthesize and administer the cure to everyone in Takaki who was infected, working well into the night with the aid of Sai and Naruto to distribute it to the remainder of the town. Lee had, naturally, tried to help as well, but Sakura had outright forbade it, and threatened to tie him down to a bed if he did anything more strenuous than eat and rest. Especially given that he had a broken leg that needed healing. However, his aid was not necessary. Not after Naruto had been given instructions and performed his legendary '_Kage Bunshin Jutsu_.'

As for Naruto himself, the reason for his miraculous recovery also puzzled Sakura, and some light chakra probing revealed close to nothing... simply a barrier created by the seal on his stomach. But that was enough for her to theorize his recovery was influenced by the ever-present Kyuubi. The Nine-Tails must have awoken within him, commandeered his body while he was unconscious, and between their merged intellects managed to defeat Jankyu (later found mauled to death under one of the cots) and transport the ill to what he/they believed was a safe location.

Finally, in the dark hours of the next morning, Sakura managed to rest, and she lay on the only remaining cot in the infirmary (the rest having been moved out) with Lee watching over her nearby, and Sai and Naruto too once they returned. She had never felt more safe. And they had never felt more proud of her.

* * *

In the end, Takaki was saved, though the cost was high. Not even had been able to receive the cure in time. And as was necessary, t heir bodies had to be burned to prevent the spread of infection. A pyre was already blazing by the time Sakura awoke the next day. She dreaded the thought of having to tell the families their loved ones would not be returning. But to her vast astonishment, she saw no bitterness, no hatred, and no anger.

One little girl, whose mother had died in the plague, had summoned exactly how they felt as she gave Sakura a much-needed hug. "My mom may be gone... and I'm sad... but I still have my dad and my big bro back. You saved us. So... thank you, Sakura-sama."

They'd all been like that. And not just with her. Lee, Sai and Naruto had also gained many thanks for their defense during the invasion. If not for their actions, more than a few people wouldn't have had a chance to die by the plague, they'd've been killed by shinobi weapons instead. Some of the villager Elders, who been temporarily placed in charge of the town in the absence of Lord Tekka (or whomever he had really been) had been trying to persuade the team to stay on as their permanent guardians and the town's medic-nin. To a one, they politely declined. Konoha was their home. And they had important things to do yet.

So it was that their makeshift team met by the eastern gates, which they'd entered less than a week ago, preparing to depart. The guards bowed low as they passed through, treating them like royalty.

Out in front, setting the pace, was the blonde, spiky-haired Uzumaki Naruto, who looked none-the-worse for wear after his near-death and possession by both plague and Kyuubi. Behind him, at a slightly slower but no less determined pace was the bushy-eyebrows and bowl cut of Rock Lee, who limped along on a crutch, his broken leg still healing. At his side was the pink-haired Sakura, ready to offer support, but at the same time, respecting Lee's attempts to make it on his own strength. And behind them all, no sporting a genuine smile on his pale features, Sai.

"Well, that's a wrap up to another great mission," summarized Naruto.

* * *

By the team got back to Konoha and reported in two days later, Tsunade had already gotten their message and was responding accordingly, dispatching fresh teams to protect the border town, as well as sending more than a few 'polite' requests to the Hidden Rock Village to re-consider any further attempts of a similar nature. Though the Leaf and Rock could not go to war given their current status, no one imagined Rock would be able to get away with this. Tsunade would most definitely make them pay one way or another. Especially since they had two captives, Hebi Kuroia and Yurasu Nadare, in custody in the Takaki dungeons.

"Well, you certainly did a good job," she summarized, placing the written report Sakura had prepared on the desk before her. "And only a little the worse for wear, it seems," she remarked, her brown orbs resting on Lee's broken leg. _Still, if that was the worst he did, maybe he's finally learning some self-restraint_, she mused. "Naruto, Sai. You're released. Go train or whatever it is you do on your downtime." Naruto didn't need to be told twice, bidding a farewell to his teammates to hurry and find his tutors so he could get back to his training. He needed to get stronger as quickly as possible. Sai also slipped out quietly.

Leaving Lee and Sakura. Tsunade frowned faintly, steepling her fingers as she regarded the two quietly. "Unfortunately, Lee, I am going to have to take you off active duty for a few days while we let your leg heal. And have a medic-nin assigned to you to make certain you do nothing more strenuous than light stretches."

Rock Lee started to protest that he was fine, and that he needed no one to babysit him, but Tsunade silenced him with a single look. _Great_, he decided. _A week or more of being coddled..._

And then she permitted herself a small smirk. "Haruno Sakura," she barked not unkindly, letting the pink-haired girl snap to attention. "Since Lee's injury occurred while he was in your charge, you will monitor him until the wound is healed. Day and night, if necessary. Understood?"

Sakura tossed off a salute. "Hai!"

_... okay, maybe he could stand a little coddling_, Rock Lee mused with a grin plastered over his face.

* * *

**Author's Notes:  
**

But wait, there's more...!


	10. Recovery

The wind blew lightly, scattering leaves in the breeze as Haruno Sakura stepped into the Konoha cemetery.

She hated coming here as a general rule, the place made her feel immeasurably depressed. And most of her former visits had been to pay her respects to one departed friend or another. But this time, she felt a burden bearing her down being lifted instead, and allowed a small smile to grace her lips as she strolled past the lines of headstones towards a familiar one.

Coming to a stop before it, she gently laid down the flowers before the gray stone. A handful of white lilies, carefully selected and purchased at the Yamanaka Flower Shop.

"... I know I haven't visited," she said, speaking aloud to the stone, and through it, its owner. "I'm sorry about that. It just... it hurt so much to lose you. I know that's a silly thing to say, but its true. I'm sorry about that."

The wind rustled through the cemetery, and she took a moment to brush some pink locks out of her eyes, tucking them behind her ear.

"I thought I wasn't strong enough to save you... but I came to a realization on this last mission. I can't save everyone... and I shouldn't. Because it is death that makes life so truly precious. So, thank you. Thank you for all the fond memories and thank you for being there all those times I needed you."

Sakura gently kneeled down, placing her hand on the cool gray stone before her. Below, buried peacefully, was the old man whom she hadn't been able to save at the hospital. The one with the heart condition. Marked with a simple inscription:

'_Haruno Kusaban, 1921-2008. Beloved Husband, Father, Shinobi, and Grandfather_.'

"Thank you grandfather."

She turned back around, smile firmly in place as she strolled back towards the gates. As she'd expected, Rock Lee was already there waiting for her, leaning only slightly on his crutch. He'd be back on both feet in a very short time, and she could likely return him to active duty soon... but what was the rush, really? Why not enjoy a little time to themselves before they had to return to the field? Life was, after all, precious and fleeting, and best enjoyed to the fullest.

"Konichiwa, Lee-kun," she called out as she made her way down to him. "Ready for our date?"

"Date?" he asked, puzzled.

"Mmhmmm," she replied, nodding. "You asked me out once, remember? Well now I'm taking you up on it. And you're going to take me somewhere nice, got it?" she stated with just a little icing to her tone, poking him in his sturdy chest.

"A-uh-I-... sure," he said. "I know this nice dango stand nearby... it's near the Ichiraku..."

Sakura slipped to his other side, taking his arm in hers, and listened to him talk as they strolled side-by-side along the streets of Konoha.

* * *

Sitting in a nearby tree, inconspicuous and all but invisible in the shadow of the leaves, a pale shinobi sat against the trunk and let his hand glide easily across the paper of his sketchbook. He took a moment to glance down at his unwitting subjects, and idly made some marks so he could add the appropriate colors to his work later, in the privacy of his apartment. For now, he simply sketched the forms.

Two faces came into being. One with short locks, the other with a bowl-cut. Facing one another. Then, with a light frown, he flipped the page of his sketchbook over and started anew. Not just facing one another. Very close now, their lips sealed together in a timeless kiss, capture in ink and parchment. Later, subtle colors would help illuminate their feelings towards one another.

Sai nodded in approval. It made a very nice picture.

* * *

**Author's Notes:  
**Theba-theba-theba-that's all folks! And yes, I don't know if the Naruto timescale uses years like we do, but I doubt anyone would complain.


End file.
